I just got a letter to say that I am one of six photographers in the final of Practical photography magazine's Photographer of the Year competition! I had tried to shoot a new photograph for stage 2, but it in the end one of my old favourites seemed a better choice.

"Using my new photographic spotlight and stand (aka super bright bike lights and sticky tape), I created a corridor of light in the otherwise dark garden.

With my most enthusiastic model (me), I experimented with lots of different movements. One of the fun things about making this kind of image is the unpredictability of the results – even an attempted repeat is never quite the same.

In the chosen shot I walked towards the light to make a trail then froze for the sharp section. The spotlight picked me out against the dark background, with some scattering of light showing leaves in my trail."

This picture is printed in the November issue of Practical Photography and all are discussed on the Practical Photography website.