A ‘shy’ photographer is making bold progress after scooping a prestigious military accolade.
Amy Lupton was ‘shocked’ to be awarded the Apprentice of the Year Award earlier this month.
The delighted senior aircraftwoman said: “I was attending a conference at RAF Halton [in Aylesbury] when my Sergeant phoned and told me that the instructors from the school had asked if they could nominate me.
“I didn’t really think much of it at the time, so when I was told that I’d won I was pretty shocked.”
She added that she has ‘loved’ her experience at Benson, her first posting. Amy arrived at the south Oxfordshire base in September 2016 after graduating from the Defence School of Photography in Cosford, Shropshire.
Her primary task is technical photography but has recently been working on a project celebrating the centenary of the RAF.
What Amy does is no ordinary job. Her skills ensure that RAF Benson correctly documents the process of fixing aircraft from start to finish as well as a historical record of events.
“The skills that I’ve learnt, I never expected to learn,” she said.
“The different sides of photography, medical and dental, crime scenes and the diversity is what I wanted to join the RAF for.
“I’ve also gained confidence; I’m still quite a shy and retiring person, but when you get put in front of a hundred people for a group photo, you’ve got to make yourself known and heard.
“I’m still trying to improve on that, but It’s definitely built my confidence.”
The apprentice award is not the first achievement nor expected to be the last for Amy, who won the Student Mallett Trophy at the RAF Photographic Competition in 2016.
She attended the Annual Apprentice of the Year Awards in London with her family and fellow RAF Benson photographer, Sergeant Rachel Malthouse, to accept the award.
