From B&FC to Barcelona: International Recognition for Student Photographer

A Blackpool and The Fylde College (B&FC) student has earned recognition in a global photography competition – with his work now set to be exhibited in Barcelona.

Jacob Brown, a second-year T Level student in Media, Broadcast and Production, submitted four wildlife photographs to a competition hosted by GuruShots: a global photography platform and app that runs competitive online challenges.

Jacob entered the Solo – Single Subject contest, which attracted more than 53,000 participants worldwide and over 213,000 image submissions.

Across his four entries, Jacob’s work received a combined total of 8,361 votes with one image – featuring a cormorant bird – gaining almost 3,000 votes.

The selected images will now be exhibited at Valid World Hall in Barcelona, a venue known for hosting large-scale cultural events, from 27 to 29 March.

Jacob’s cormorant photograph is one of just 20 shots that have been selected for physical printing at this exhibition where a further 1,000 images will also be displayed digitally.

The cormorant image, along with a photograph of a squirrel, was taken at Stanley Park in Blackpool while Jacob captured two further competition entries at Knott End.

Jacob, 19, shares his photography on Instagram under the handle @jjb__photography and is now planning a trip to Barcelona to view the exhibition in person – as well as to film new content for his portfolio and CV.

He said: “Eighteen months ago, if you told me that I would have taken an interest in photography and it would take me to Barcelona, I would have said you were crazy.

“I entered the competition on a whim on 30 December. I don’t use GuruShots very often but decided to give it a go. Within a day or so, I was shocked to discover I had reached the top ten entrants at one point. It all happened very quickly.”

Jacob also runs a local photography group, St Anne’s Snappers, which has around 90 members. He is currently completing his T Level industry placement with the Communications Team at Wyre Council and has also undertaken sports photography shoots with a local amateur football team.

His interest in wildlife photography has blossomed since starting his B&FC course and Jacob has now applied to University of Cumbria to study BA (Hons) Wildlife Media next year.

“Wildlife photography is my preferred future career now – and the Lake District would be a perfect place to explore and develop my skills even further,” he said.

Mark Harris, B&FC Programme Leader in Digital and Creative Innovation, added: “Jacob’s success reflects the commitment he’s shown to developing his creative and technical skills throughout his T Level studies.”

“Having his work selected for an international exhibition is a significant achievement – and I am certain he has a very bright future ahead of him in this field.”