Dylan Lombard is 20 years old and lives in Shawlands, Glasgow. He left Shawlands Academy in 2021 and is currently working on his HND in photography at Glasgow City College. He was diagnosed as deaf aged three, as autistic at seven and as having MDP, an extremely rare syndrome (only 13 known cases in the world) aged 10. He loves photography, dancing and football. Dylan volunteers in his local community and enjoys raising money for charity and is passionate about disability awareness education.

‘Looking back, I can now see that starting high school was an incredibly stressful time for me. I now see that I started taking photographs as a way to take my mind off school; a coping mechanism. Taking photographs is like a switch that turns off the rest of the world. I am in that silent moment and everything else evaporates. By taking a photograph I can freeze time and give myself space to think and breathe. I like to spend time gazing at the moments I have captured. Jumping into that image I immerse myself and I float above the world.

What started as a way to cope became a hobby and is now a passion or some might say an obsession. I realised very quickly that I see the world with a different perspective because of my autism. I can represent this different way of seeing in my photographs. I always have my camera with me everywhere I go. Photography gives me so much joy. Every photograph I take is unique just like me and when I take a photograph it freezes time and when I’m in that moment I feel sheer joy and creativity. Photography has changed me and helped me to become more positive about myself and about life.’