A PHOTOGRAPHER who left his job to concentrate on his hobby is making a success of recording the region's landscapes.

Jim Gibson, 53, of Peartree Terrace, Holmside, near Durham, started taking photographs 15 years ago to record views he saw when he was out fell walking.

As his passion grew, he took the plunge and resigned from his job with the Inland Revenue five years ago.

"That was very much a day job and not something that I could get passionate about in the way I can about photography," he said.

"Living where I do has real advantages. I'm no more than a couple of hours from the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, including Weardale and Teesdale, the Northumberland National Park, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors and coast."

An exhibition of his North-East landscapes is on show at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Washington, until Thursday, January 29.

Published: 15/01/2004