I'm Annie, a mother living in the New Forest in the South of England. Part of the Unsplash team, I spend my life helping to build community and curating the thousands of photographs that are submitted daily to the photography platform. 

When I first dipped my feet into the world of photography I sought advice from my peers. The response I received wasn't encouraging, both as a new photographer and a woman. 'Advice' varied from "if you don't learn film photography first you'll never be a proper photographer" and "you can't call yourself a photographer unless you first shoot in black and white" to "just because you take photos it doesn't make you a photographer". At the time I felt discouraged, but ultimately defiant.

I have been sharing my photography for free for a few years now and these days everything I shoot I share with others because, like one of my wonderful team mates Bruno, I believe that when you share with others you directly enrich other peoples lives. I don't want a career where I am employed to take the photos that other people want. I want to take the photos that I want, my way, when I want to. For me, this keeps the joy of photography pure and pressure free.

When I'm not working, I can be found driving around the New Forest in 'Jude', my 1968 VW Beetle. Usually with a camera on back seat, on a mission to take photos or shoot some film.

I also love hiking and cycling, both road and gravel - come and say hello on Strava!