A BORDERS snapper at the top of his trade talked at Peebles Camera Club on Wednesday evening.

Scottish Portrait Photographer 2014, John Parris, from Hawick, entertained members with tales of his growing international reputation.

Speaking about this year’s success Mr Parris said: “You are up against some great photographers, the portrait I think, that won the overall was a fantastic picture of the Border Piper Matt Seattle, we did the shoot at the Haining in Selkirk, shot with the Canon 50mm 1.2 standard lens in an attic using natural light.” Since 2006 he has developed a lucrative sideline as a special guest photographer for large cruise companies alongside speakers such as former politician Edwina Currie.

This has introduced his work to an international audience and allowed him to develop a sideline in travel photography.

The Fellow of the Master Photographers Association, who has been winning awards for more than 20 years, spoke about his early days as a part-time photographer combined with a job in Hawick’s mills.

Mr Parris said: “When I was a 20-year old and worked in Pringles in the knitwear, I felt that I had to be good at something in life, I was not the best at school, my brother and sister were the clever ones. I had to do something to prove my dad wrong.” He spoke about his first camera and walking across the hills snapping sunsets like a club photographer.

“Suddenly I wanted to learn everything about photography and devoured books on photographic technique.” For five years he worked part-time photographing weddings and portraits and took a course at Hawick’s former Henderson Tech, where the lecturer let him fit classes into mill shift pattern.

Shortly afterwards he met his wife Sandra, who worked in a framing business, at first she modelled for John but soon swopped from being in-front of the lens to working as a photographic assistant and is now a partner in the family firm.