Not many people are lucky enough to turn their hobby into a full-time career.

But by swapping IT training for professional photography, Jackie Cross has done exactly that.

And the 46-year-old believes taking the long way around turned out to be a good thing.

She explained: “I had terrible careers advice when I left school.

“I was always creative and wanted to do something where I could use my artistic talents.”

Instead she was persuaded to do a secretarial course at a technical college in Staffordshire, where she grew up.

By the time she was 23 she had set up her own business offering computer training.

Marriage brought her to Oxfordshire, so she moved her company to Milton Park, where it continued to thrive, attracting big-name clients such as BMW and Smeg.

Ms Cross says she never intended to teach IT skills but at the time computers were replacing typewriters in offices everywhere and there was a huge demand for training.

She said: “I just went with the flow.

“I hit it right when Microsoft was just coming to the UK.”

But she says when she reached the end of her thirties she realised that, despite the success of her business, she was not where she wanted to be professionally or personally.

“I changed my partner, my career and moved home,” she said.

“I had always taken photographs from when I was about 16 and even had my own dark room as I got older, but it was always just a hobby.

“I never thought it could be a career and I am glad that I didn’t try to do it when I was younger, because I wouldn’t have had the business knowledge.

“A lot of photographers are great at taking pictures but they don’t know how to market themselves, communicate with customers and negotiate on price.

“I did it all back to front but I’m glad it worked out the way it did.

Ms Cross, who lives in Wantage, specialises in portrait photography, particularly pictures for use on social media and outdoor shots.

“I do more imaginative portraits, which makes me stand out from the crowd,” she said.

“I think one of my skills is being able to meet a person, get a sense of who they are and make sure they get a great picture that reflects their personality.

“It’s also about building a rapport with them.

“I hate having my photograph taken, so I try hard to put them at ease and make the shoot fun. There are a lot of photographers out there but I’m not worried; I have my own niche.”