I set about trying to capture the local wildlife where I live now that would always be easier said than done and was trickier than I first thought so instead I set about taking photos of the landscapes and farm life around my corner of Yorkshire trying out tips and tricks to give myself the best results  these photos i would show to my wife who seemed very impressed or maybe just humouring me lol but either way she suggested I set my own photography page up on Facebook to share them online now it was my Dad who came up with the name Valley Boy which I decided to use as the name of my Facebook page as I wanted my page to be just about the photos so it didn’t matter who I was now before long I had created my Facebook page and started to share my photos online and slowly but surely my following grew from just local people to local people who no longer lived in the area and then people who didn’t live or even no the area but loved to see my photos and as my passion for photography grew I was out and about more and more which increased my changes of encountering the local wildlife which did eventually happen now i still remember the first time I ever saw a little owl I was like a kid in a sweet shop I would then go back to the same spot i first saw it continuously day after day as I knew this increased my chances of seeing it again and the more I was out and about the more I saw even capturing a badger and fox which was truly amazing now I haven’t won any awards lol but I have been lucky enough to have one of my photos of a weasel popping its head out of a wall on display at the BBCs Countryfile show at Bleinham Palace and also having a robin that became the famous frosty toes feature on the telly during a local weather report, now after around a year of sharing my photos on Facebook one of my followers asked if they could purchase a print of one of my photos something up until that point i hadnt even thought about so with that i got to work on opening my online shop where i would sell prints and greeting cards and later cushions i even produced my first ever calendar for 2018 which proved to be a big seller now in 2022 i invested further in my shop by purchasing the printers and machines needed so i could produce a vast range of products featuring my photography on now this investment would elevate my shop to another level and allow me to produce items myself and give me full control over the final product now my online shop is a real family affair with my wife hand making items like tote bags and cross stich cards to sell which have all proved really popular, over the years i have got to know many of my Facebook followers through my page which is the good side of social media as it can bring people together and over those years i have recieved many messages from my followers thanking me for bringing them joy with my photos which is great to hear and my love for photography and the wildlife and area I live along with the knowledge my photos can help to brighten someone’s day is the  reason i continue to share my photos with you all……