First cat photo gets Slough photographer nominated for national award

A photographer from Slough is ‘amazed’ that her first ever foray into capturing cats has been shortlisted in the British Photography Awards 2025.

The striking image of a Sphynx kitten called ‘Elegance in Bare Skin’ was submitted by Salli Woods this summer in the awards category for pets and domesticated animals.

The 63-year-old has been photographing animals since launching her own studio, Boo and Bertie Photography, but this is her ‘one and only photo shoot so far with a cat’.

“When you’re working with a cat, it’s not like a dog; you can’t tell it to sit,” she told the Express.

“A cat doesn’t communicate with you like a dog does, so it’s real luck with cats.”

Salli owns three whippets and had visited her vet in Hillingdon earlier this year, who suggested that she photograph another client’s kittens.

The four Sphynx kittens were brought to Salli’s home studio in April, and she had never seen one up close, describing them as ‘velvet’ and ‘enchanting’.

“Those kittens were amazing, funny little things, so soft, and the one in the image was unusual for its ears,” she said. “This tiny Sphynx kitten was the most endearing in the litter with its curled back ears. It was also the most inquisitive out of the six.

“To get him like that, with his tail and everything, was just brilliant. It’s a great capture for me.”

Until last year, Salli was working for the photography studio Rhubarb and Custard in Eton, but decided photographing pets was her ‘calling’.

She decided to ‘go it alone and start full-time’ by undertaking outdoor shoots in Black Park Country Park and then opening a home studio in her garden this time last year.

Her business is predominantly word-of-mouth, and she’s open to photographing any pets, but dogs are her ‘first love’.

Salli entered photography later in life and said this was ‘a real achievement’, having been a lifelong creative and previously working as a dancer and personal trainer.

“It’s never too late to start something new,” she said.

“Although sometimes I think I shouldn’t be there because there are other photographers there that have been doing it a lot longer, even if I don’t win anything, it's just amazing for my work to be recognised on such a prestigious platform.

“If you don’t enter these things, you just don’t know.”

The image was selected from thousands of entries from across the UK and is now in the running for a People’s Choice Award, which is decided by public vote.

“I think people probably find dogs more endearing, but in that category, this is the only cat, and maybe it was totally different from anything else they saw,” said Salli.

She said her family and friends are ‘all rooting for me’ ahead of the awards ceremony at the Royal Lancaster in London on November 3.

“Elegance in Bare skin is a very special image to me, and I’d be so grateful for the support of our local community in helping it reach the next stage,” she added.

The public can view the shortlisted images and cast their votes at www.tinyurl.com/bp6vaabf