RAF veteran turned award-winning photographer Richard Adams has transformed a medical discharge into an artistic mission, spending nearly two decades capturing everything from sweeping landscapes to tiny mice while inspiring the next generation of shutterbugs.

Adams discovered photography by chance after 19 years repairing damaged aircraft for the RAF, forced to retire in 2006 when nerve damage from excessive power tool use ended his engineering career. “I just felt lost,” Adams recalled. His parents bought him a bridge camera, pushing him toward nature photography that drew him out of the house. A competition win landed him a DSLR, which he traded for computer equipment to launch a portrait business beginning with family Christmas photos.

The enterprise flourished, leading Adams to Osborne Mill in Oldham where he established Studio 9 among fellow artists. The space now hosts photography students, camera clubs and seasoned professionals who collaborate across disciplines, accessing hundreds of lighting and backdrop combinations that create effects spanning natural to supernatural themes.

“I love what I do and I really enjoy teaching and passing on my knowledge to other photographers, especially those who are just starting out,” Adams said. The veteran photographer finds particular joy watching different artists interpret identical subjects. “When we do shoots in the studio, I love seeing how different photographers get different results with the same subject or model, and you can make a suggestion or alter a setting, and it creates something spectacular they were not expecting.”

Workshop and studio shoot information is available through the Studio 9 website.

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