NIGEL Fisher, who was renowned for his ballet photos, has died at 59 from cancer.

He owned his first Box Brownie when he was seven, but only began a career as a photographer in the early 1990s.

At the time he lived in Bampton and ran a studio on Witney’s Thorney Leys business park.

His association with a number of ballet schools sparked his interest in covering dance, and he built up a ballet and dance portfolio.

He began to attend photocalls at the Birmingham Hippodrome when the Birmingham Royal Ballet was performing, and the sessions provided him with a stunning portfolio.

Mr Fisher used a slow shutter speed to capture the movement of the dancers, and his pictures had a soft, grainy appearance.

Following a successful 2001 exhibition, Mr Fisher, of the Old Skittle Alley, Brize Norton, enjoyed good sales and got plenty of exposure in magazine articles.

During his career as a photographer, he won 17 awards from Kodak and Fuji Film.

When Mr Fisher was not taking photographs, he would sometimes help out his sister, Janet Heath, who runs West Oxford Animal Rescue in Wheatley.

Mrs Heath said: “Nigel would go out in his car and pick up injured animals from the roadside. He also worked in our charity shop in Wheatley when he had some spare time.”

From 2004, Mr Fisher, who was divorced, also worked in the construction industry in the Oxford area.