A picture perfect homecoming: This beats the Philippines, says Nick

Mr Foster, aged 52, from Rayford Drive, West Bromwich, said he has always enjoyed photography and took his camera with him when he moved to the Philippines seven years ago.

Despite Sandwell Valley being a world away from the Philippine coast, Mr Foster said he much prefers the lighting and shooting conditions of his home turf.

Mr Foster said: "The Philippines is an amazing place but it is impossible to take a good picture after 9am because the sun is so bright and clear that everything is just washed out."

After emigrating with his wife, Mr Foster took up a job as a scuba diving instructor in the coastal province of Iloilo, spending seven years snapping amateur divers in the blue waters surrounding the islands.

"I reckon in total during the seven years I was there I took around 30,000 photos," Mr Foster said. "We would take groups out and take pictures of their dives as groups.

"The pictures you can take out there are incredible but nothing beats the pictures you can take here.

"I was out one morning walking with my brother and the dog when I was able to take the picture of the path in Sandwell Valley, the lighting was perfect and it was a great picture."

Despite only being back in the UK for less than three weeks Mr Foster is already racking up the pictures once again.

He said: "When I came back I met a group of old school friends who I had not seen in over 30 years.

"We were all interested in photography so we had this idea to go out as a group every weekend at take pictures together."

Mr Foster said his interest in photography is a hobby and he shares his pictures mainly online, through Facebook, with family and friends.

Alongside Sandwell Valley, Mr Foster's eye for a picture has also taken him to Tewkesbury and Shrewsbury, and he now plans to visit Kenilworth Castle and Kidderminster.