An inspirational photographer says she is not letting her disabilities hold her back as she pursues her passion for wildlife.

Jen Read, from Folkestone, was born with phocomelia syndrome, which left her with an abnormally formed arm.

But she has adapted her camera using home-made gadgets and says she is "proud to be different" as she builds a portfolio of stunning wildlife images.

The 27-year-old was born without most of her right forearm and hand due to phocomelia, which is a congenital birth disorder typically characterised by severe malformation of the extremities.

Her left leg was also affected and is 5cm shorter than my right, which causes problems with walking and running.

This means her hip and spine are off-centre and has caused her to develop fibromyalgia syndrome, a long-term condition which causes pain all over the body.

But Miss Read says she is determined to "turn my animal obsession into art" and is continuing to capture eye-catching images with her modified camera.

“A lot of my life I have been told I can’t do things because of my disabilities because not many people have my disability so it’s a bit like going into the unknown,” she says.

“The ‘I can’t’ turned into ‘I will’. I’m very stubborn and when I put my mind to something, I will do it.

“I began answering the bullies back and my best revenge is to do it. When I was told I couldn’t capture kingfishers in flight, I got them with one arm and I’m very proud of it. It took a lot of hard work but I have used this mentality since I was a kid.

“As a disabled photographer, I would love to inspire other disabled people in any art form."

Miss Read set up her own pet photography business in 2019 called Feline Doggeous Photography, but put the work on hold last year after becoming unwell.

“I fell ill last year with kidney stones and got sepsis twice so I spent most of 2022 recovering but also trying to balance my mental and physical health,” she said.

“I needed to recover but if I didn’t go out with my friends, I wouldn’t have recovered as quickly.

“I’m still not 100%. I still have kidney stones and my business is still closed because it is still too much, especially because this business revolves around the pet’s personality so if they are running around, I can’t keep up.”

Miss Read has modified her camera with ties and duct tape to change the focus and focal length on her shots.

“All my camera gear has been adapted to help me learn – I have a cable tie which I put my thumb through to help me change my focal length,” she said.

“My friendship group is amazing in every way, their support is incredible and we go out often every weekend – we are happy to criticise each other.

“With my disabilities, they’ve never held me back and have only supported me. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today with this big smile on my face.”

Miss Read is hoping to have her pet photography business running again in January but if she is not able to, she says she will keep heading out daily to capture wildlife.

"If I can help with my words, actions and photos, then that would make my day. I’m also happy for people to message me and talk to them and help them if they want,” she added.

“I would like to be someone people can look up to so when others tell them they can’t, I’ve proved you can.”

To see more of Miss Read’s work, follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Felinedoggeous.