Recovering from a serious back injury led Peter Whelan to review his life, sparking a renewed interest in photography which has taken him around the world.

Now Peter, 63, is holding his first photographic exhibition at the Art and Soul Cafe, Gallery and Creative Hub in St Neots, featuring a cross-section of his work.

He explained that he had been a keen photographer since childhood but lost interest until the introduction of digital photography revived his old love affair with the shutter.

But it was recovering from his back injury which made Peter take his photography to the next level, including trips to America, Japan, New Zealand, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Sri Lanka.

He said: “I had the back injury and was in recovery from that for three months and during that time I did a lot of thinking about where I was going. I was also growing interested in California and Japan.”

When he was fit again he decided he had to visit these countries for their photographic possibilities, especially landscapes and buildings.

Peter said his job as a freelance construction site manager meant he was fortunate enough to be able to fit his work around his photography rather than the other way around.

“Sri Lanka was absolutely fantastic and the sight and smell of the fish market will be with me for a long time,” he said.

In the past he has displayed his work online where he built up a following but decided to hold the exhibition, where the prints can be seen full-size, at the gallery in New Street from August 10 until September 6.