A teenager from Torbay, with a natural gift for photography, has been gaining national recognition while using his skills to support charitable causes.
Austin Lake, who will turn 14 next month, has recently captured both local and regional attention by winning the Rotary Young Photographer competition, which celebrates the creative talents of thousands of photographers under the age of 17.
He has now been shortlisted as a finalist in the Pet Personalities category for the prestigious RSPCA Young Photographer of the Year and will attend an award ceremony hosted by Chris Packham at the iconic Tower of London on December 19.
Austin’s mum, Jo Lake, explained that Austin’s passion for photography began just over a year ago when he began taking photos on his phone during walks around the local area.
“Initially, he just started sharing them with the family, but we quickly realised how good they were,” says Jo.
“He started posting the photos on Instagram and received really good feedback, which just spurred him on even more. People kept telling him, ‘You’ve got an eye for this; you’re a natural,' and I think that it helped him to believe in himself. From there, it’s gone from strength to strength.”
Austin is home educated and lives with mum, Jo, and has a dad, Rob, and older sister, Georgia.
He has autism and has previously struggled with his communication skills and being around too many people.
Starting photography has made a tremendous difference to his confidence.
The positive feedback and success in competitions have been “amazing” to Austin and enabled him to begin talking to people while improving his confidence.
So far, Austin has achieved notable success, placing second in the child section of a photography competition organised by Exeter City Council, winning the local award of the Rotary Young Photographer competition, and taking first place in the regional finals for his age group across Devon and Cornwall.
He was also a finalist in the national awards but didn’t quite place for a prize.
Austin’s skills are all the more impressive due to them being completely self-taught.
Jo explained: “I literally don’t know anything about photography; everything is completely done by him. He upgraded his phone to a better camera with his pocket money, and then I bought him a professional camera last Christmas. He’s just started the NCFE in photography, which is GCSE equivalent, but all of the editing is completely self-taught."
Austin was recently the photographer for a local spring fair for homeschooled students, offering them the opportunity to have school-style photos taken so they wouldn’t miss out on the experience.
He was loaned professional lighting and a screen, secured copyright for all the images, ensured that privacy disclaimers were signed, and personally emailed each purchased photograph that he had taken.
For a young person, Austin has an extremely entrepreneurial mindset and has already sold a significant amount of his work.
His ambition is to make photography his full-time career and travel the world, from Africa to Dubai, taking photos for magazines.
Japan’s cherished cherry blossoms, the delicate pink flowers that bloom in spring, are one of his dream photo opportunities.
Austin's ambitions extend beyond personal goals, as he has also spearheaded several successful fundraising initiatives.
One of these initiatives was a Macmillan coffee morning, where he sold homemade cakes to friends and family. Any leftover cakes were donated to a homeless charity in Torquay.
He has also raised funds for Animals in Distress and is currently selling a calendar showcasing his favourite images. All proceeds from the calendar sales are being donated to SSAFA Devon, the Armed Forces Charity.
Jo shared: “He wants to be really successful, but he also understands that people need help. He wanted to support something focused around the military and veterans, as that aligns with his own interests.”
Summarising his success, Austin said: “I’m just really excited about everything that’s happening on my photography journey, and it gives me so much hope for my future.”
Austin will be selling his calendars at the SSAFA Christmas Fair at the Passage House Hotel in Kingsteignton on December 1 between 11am and 3pm.
You can see more of Austin’s photography and keep up to date with future sales on his Instagram, aus_does_photography.
