A COTSWOLD photographer has captured the hearts of the local community with her creative talent and hard work to promote other people.

Kay Ransom proudly received the Cirencester Scene Creative Champions Award at the Cirencester Business Awards in May this year.

Community magazine Cirencester Scene, which sponsored the Creative Champions award, called on its readers to nominate individuals or organisations who work hard to promote talented people in the area.

The 34-year-old photographer from Cirencester won by an overwhelming majority, thanks to her popular and respected work with wakeboarding and water skiing company WM Ski at Cotswold Country Park and Beach.

"The reason I won the award is because I do all of that photography in my own time. It's not part of work," said Kay. "I support all the wake boarders and I wake board myself."

Kay works under her company name Kay Ransom Photography and works from her studio in North Cerney. Her work takes her all over the UK and often all around the world.

She said she decided to set up her own photography firm in 2005. It was exactly the right time for her as there were not as many digital photographers as there are today.

"I went to Abbey Road Studios on a photography job once," she said. "I captured the whole day. Security there was insane. Getting access to places you don't usually get to access in everyday life is brilliant.

"At the moment I'm time lapsing a lily for a florist. I do it for two weeks and set up the camera to take a picture every 10 minutes."

Kay was attending the award ceremony, organised by the Cirencester Chamber of Commerce, in a professional capacity earlier this year. She took photos of all the winners and finalists of the evening as a treat for the chamber for the second year running, after being a member for around four years.

She said it was a real surprise to win, but it meant she had to give someone else the camera to take a picture of her while she accepted her award.

"I was hoping I would win but then wondered how I would take the photo," she said. "I hadn't entered the awards before."

Visit kayransom.com for more information.