Derek Boocock is probably among the minority to welcome redundancy.

Unless, like the lucky steel workers who were facing the threat of job losses and won the lottery, the prospect of redundancy during the worst recession in Britain for 60 years is a devastating prospect for most.

Derek doesn’t deny being out of work at 53 coupled with the current economic climate was daunting.

He was working as an IT support worker when he was made redundant last September but a month later he was back in business – as a self employed photographer.

Derek’s love of photography developed during his nine-year stint in the Army.

He joined the West Yorkshire Regiment 4/7 Royal Dragoon Guards at 21. After training at Catterick, Derek was posted to Germany where he trained as a military intelligence photographer taking images of conflict zones and formal occasions such as dignitary visits.

On leaving the Army, Derek worked as an outdoors pursuits instructor. He has a real passion for the outdoors and he was a keen cycling competitor before ill health prevented him from participating in the sport.

Derek’s prostate cancer diagnosis in 2005 wasn’t his first bout of the disease. He was diagnosed with bone cancer at 14. “I was told by doctors I wouldn’t walk again,” he recalls. “Six months later I ran a marathon for charity.”

Over the years Derek has raised thousands of pounds for various charities. His mission is to ‘give something back’ for the treatment he and his wife Caroline, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, received.

Derek tells how they practically spent their savings while out of work recuperating so when Derek was made redundant last year he admits he knew setting up his own photography business was a substantial risk.

Using his redundancy money to fund his camera equipment Derek couldn’t afford for the business not to work but he was confident with his talent that it would.

A year later and with a string of awards he’s notched up for his images, he says losing his job was “the best thing that ever happened because it kicked me into action. I had to make a new career.

“I was keen to stay involved in the cycling world and realised one way to do this was through photography. I bought my first digital camera very soon after that and began photographing the sport that I love,” says Derek, who earned a reputation as one of the best freelance cycling photographers.

In 2008 a friend gave him his first wedding photography assignment. “The response I got and the feedback was fantastic so that made me feel like I could branch out into other aspects of photography,” says Derek.

Redundancy gave him the impetus to do it but with no business skills, Derek didn’t know where to start. Business Link and Bradford Kickstart gave him the information and support he needed to go it alone and he hasn’t looked back. “It proved to be the real success story for me,” says Derek.

Mike Whitehouse, at Bradford Kickstart, introduced him to another business expert who would play an instrumental role in Derek setting up on his own.

Tony Lubbock, a business design consultant for Yorkshire Building Society, gave Derek the knowledge and support he needed to launch Distinct Images in October.

Tony takes part in the Bradford Kickstart programme through Yorkshire Building Society’s employee volunteering scheme – Actioneering – where every member of staff is encouraged to volunteer their support to the local community.

“Derek has come such a long way since we started working together. He is a very talented photographer with a bright future in the field and I’m looking forward to helping him nurture his company into a successful business and seeing him enjoy a fulfilling career,” says Tony.

And Derek says: “Tony has given me real confidence. It is daunting going into business on your own for the first time, a quite frightening prospect, but with Tony’s help I’ve kept my feet on the ground. He’s got the business experience I need and he’s also great to bounce ideas off.”

Since launching Distinct Images Derek is making a name for himself. His dedication to his art speaks for itself in the wonderful and emotive images he captures; an atmospheric black and white photograph of a gnarled tree at Malham Cove which he waited patiently to capture at sun down.

The image of a locomotive steaming along the landmark Ribblehead viaduct earned him second place in the Holme in the Valley awards. One of his photographs is displayed in the Yorkshire Photographic Union exhibition in Pickering.

The sepia-toned image of Bolton Abbey at sun rise and the two Red Kites he captured in flight in Scotland prove patience really is a virtue when waiting for those ‘golden moment’ images.

“You have to have an idea in your head; what image you want; what you are looking for before you go on the photoshoot. I plan them meticulously,” says Derek.

“The light has to be right. Lighting is what photography is about. You go back until the light is perfect and that is how you get the good shots.”

Aside from his outdoor work, Derek is continuing with his cycling images and is expanding his wedding photography portfolio. He says his pleasure comes from seeing clients’ smiling faces, particularly couples who see their wedding photographs for the first time.

Home portrait sessions and events are other services he offers. His ambition is to have an exhibition of his work and he also hopes to pass his skills on to students. “I would really like to give something back,” says Derek, who is already mentoring one student.

“I am living the dream – earning a living from something I really enjoy doing – a dream.”

* For more information visit distinctimages.co.uk