A LYTH Valley photographer has had two images selected for the finals of the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2017.

Tiree Dawson, of Crosthwaite, said she is 'over the moon' at having two of her pictures for the world's leading food photography and film awards.

The awards, now in their sixth year, celebrate all aspects of food in culture across the globe and more than 25,000 images have been entered since the awards began.

The image selected in the 'Food for Celebration' category depicts talented Marianne Woodend putting the finishing touches to a wedding cake at Bakery at Number 4 in Kendal

"I’ve photographed over 250 wedding cakes, but it was nice to do something a bit different, showing the careful work that goes on behind the scenes," said Tiree.

The second image selected is in the 'Apple a Day' category, for portraits of Pink Lady apples.

"Although the final image was fairly simple to take, I spent a lot of time planning and designing the different elements of it," she said.

"I wanted the image to portray the way so many generations have enjoyed eating apples, which are such a basic but brilliant fruit.

"It’s particularly moving for this one to be hung on a wall in a gallery, as it features my late mum’s beloved cookery notebook.

"This is one of my favourite keepsakes of her – a real treasure trove of recipes, notes, advice from friends and wine recommendations scribbled on the back of fundraising flyers and school letters. Every crumb-filled, tea-stained page tells a story of past memories and future plans."

Tiree said she enters a lot of different photography competitions with varying degrees of success. She added to be a finalist in the Pink Lady awards had always been one of her dreams.

"It’s a great competition, well organised with a wide variety of talent," she said. "So many competitions these days are more like popularity contests, which rely more on attracting votes through your network rather than being judged on talent.

"Although there is a 'People’s Choice' section to these awards, in the main part the decisions are made by a highly-skilled panel of judges representing a wide cross section of the world of food production, cookery, photography and press. I’m just so pleased that my two little pictures from the depths of the Lake District made the final cut."