A NEW Milton photographer with epilepsy is offering free family photoshoots for families affected by epilepsy - with only a donation for charity required.

Professional photographer Faye Harris, 32, was diagnosed unexpectedly with epilepsy when she was 30.

Now, she wants to raise money for Epilepsy Action and offer something for people in a similar position to herself.

Faye said: "I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 30 and it came out of the blue. We later found out it is because of something I’ve had since birth, but it really does come out of the blue for a lot of people. And some people who are diagnosed have no explanation as to why they have epilepsy, which is quite a difficult thing to live with.

"I’m trying to highlight what epilepsy is and show how it affects people by using my skills to give something back to people.

"Photos are something people can treasure for a really long time. This fundraiser is something different and will hopefully get people interested.

"The aim is to create some knowledge around epilepsy as it’s something people don’t know a lot about, they tend to think of the big seizure. There are so many different types of epilepsy and it can affect people in different ways.

"I want to help educate people and shed some light on how varied it can be."

Faye is offering 12 photoshoots, with each one set to feature on her photography blog every month.

The families will include one person (adult or child) who has epilepsy, or someone who works within the field of epilepsy.

For example, an epilepsy specialist nurse at a local hospital.

Faye said: "The importance of this fundraiser is that it gives something back to Epilepsy Action. When I was first diagnosed, it was a new thing for me. I was reaching out to everyone and anyone for help, but I knew nobody who had epilepsy.

"I reached out to the charity and got some information and comfort, so I want to give back to them.

"It's also so important to have family pictures as people nowadays rarely have the opportunity for a proper family picture that includes everyone.

"Many people don’t print pictures off and put them on the wall anymore either.

"Family is so important for anyone with epilepsy.

"There is no set donation amount as I don’t want to restrict this so only those with lots of money can take part. £40 is my suggested donation, but if you can only afford £10 that’s fine. There is no minimum amount and the donation is whatever people feel they can give."

If you are interested in having a photoshoot with Faye, you can contact her via the Contact page on her blog: http://www.fayesphotos.com/