A CUMBRIAN photographer who captures stunning images of our canine companions has won a prestigious business award.

Kerry Jordan, 46, runs Fur & Fables, a photography business which shoots images for commercial clients in the pet industry - with the landscapes of Cumbria acting as a studio for many of the shots.

Following more than a decade in the industry, she has now been recognised with a Small Business Sunday award - created by Dragons' Den star and entrepreneur Theo Paphitis.

Ms Jordan said she had tried to win the award for several years, but after two of her pet industry clients won within two weeks of each other - with images which she had taken for them - she decided to try for herself again.

In Cumbria: A dog in an epic pose in CumbriaA dog in an epic pose in Cumbria (Image: Fur & Fables)

Ms Jordan, who lives in Frizington, started her career as a personal assistant in London, but after finding her passion behind the lens over a decade ago, started branching out and went into wedding photography.

"I grew up in a council house in Manchester," she wrote on her website. "But despite being quite far removed from nature and animals, somehow found a love for both."

In Cumbria: Kerry is a photographer for commercial clients in the pet industryKerry is a photographer for commercial clients in the pet industry (Image: Fur & Fables)

She started taking photographs of her own dogs - two whippets - and winning awards for her pet portraits. People stared approaching her to commission shoots for their dogs, and pet businesses soon followed.

She said: “With the UK spending around £10billion a year on our pets, and with around 750 billion images on the internet, its more important than ever for pet brands to tell the story of their brand with high-end images that capture the imagination of their ideal client, and fast.

In Cumbria: A photogenic pooch at golden hour in the LakesA photogenic pooch at golden hour in the Lakes (Image: Fur & Fables)

"I’ve photographed hundreds and hundreds of dogs and know how to get the best shots to help my clients stand out.”

Small Business Sunday was set up by businessman Theo in 2010 and the community now has 4,000 members.

In Cumbria: Receiving the award from Dragon Theo PaphitisReceiving the award from Dragon Theo Paphitis (Image: Supplied)

As part of the awards, Ms Jordan attended a huge event at the Birmingham ICC to collect her certificate from Mr Paphitis himself.

Mr Paphitis said: “We are thrilled to welcome new #SBS members every week and highlight just how important it is to support our small businesses here in the UK.”