Life at Wrexham National Trust highlighted in photos

Gwernaffield-based Dave Jowitt, a volunteer photographer and guide at Erddig, has recently been awarded the distinction of Associateship of the Welsh Photographic Federations (AWPF) for a panel of 12 photographs called Portals of Erddig.

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The panel was well received by the five assessors at the Welsh Photographic Federation's distinction event in Pontyclun earlier this month.

Dave said: "Personally I was shocked and honoured by the decision of the WPF panel of assessors. This award is not just for me but for all the volunteers and staff at Erddig who work really hard to preserve the character and beauty of the place, and to whom I owe a debt of thanks.

Portals of Erddig, by photographer Dave Jowitt.

The panel of 12 monochrome prints depicts, in an architectural style, a variety of windows and doorways in the house and estate, as well as more metaphysical portals such as art works and the library. The panel - which is judged as a whole unit as well as by the individual photos - is structured in three rows representing the luxurious Upstairs, the subservient Downstairs and the industrious Outside workshops.

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The 67-year-old added: "Working with a camera in the house has its technical challenges because of the low and contrasting light levels and a ban on tripods.

"Because of these I had to work at very high ISO levels and use a five exposure bracketing technique, all of which involved considerable post processing to perform the magic."

Dave is a member of Mold Camera Club and of the Leader Camera Club Facebook group.

He will be leading the Beginners Photography Walks at Erddig again next year, on the first Sunday of the month, which need to be booked online at the Erddig National Trust website.