Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Scottish teen with dyslexia one of UK's top student photographers

From the Glasgow Evening Times in Scotland:

A Scots teenager with dyslexia has finished among the top five students in England for his photography skills.

Paul Greenshields, from Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, has spent nine years of his education south of the border at a specialist school for dyslexic youngsters.

The 18-year-old credited boarding at the Nunnykirk Centre for Dyslexia, near Morpeth in Northumberland, with helping him achieve both GCSEs and now A grades in all his units.

He got maximum marks in the last two years in A-level photography, launching him into the top five in England.

Paul said: "It's quite a small school with about 50 pupils, so everybody knows everybody. I took up photography four years ago - I found it easy so I thought I'd try it. It's not like a chore to me.

"I would not have got any GCSEs if I wasn't at the school and I would not be going to university now if I hadn't gone there."

Paul is set to start studies in Fine Art Photography at Glasgow School of Art within weeks.

His exam work included giant photogram work in the darkroom, based on the artist Man Ray, alongside large-scale portrait and figure work.

He also included several pieces of street photography taken during a visit to Budapest.

Art teacher Jeff Hodgson said: "Paul really deserves this accolade. His photography has consistently improved over his time at Nunnykirk and he has shown a real maturity in his work.

"I hope he's able to continue enjoying photography and producing work of such an excellent standard."

Paul added: "It is a subject I've really enjoyed and it's great I've been given the opportunity to show my work and reach this standard."

Nunnykirk is an independent school and pupils attend either privately
or placed by their education authority.