I was a pioneering female engineer – now I’m an award-winning wildlife photographer

What do you do when your body forces you to stop doing the work you love? For Michelle Jackson, the answer wasn’t to slow down – it was to learn something new. After retiring early from a distinguished career in the rail industry, she became an award-winning wildlife photographer. “Learning all the photographic skills replaced my demanding career, and my brain didn’t have an opportunity to get lazy,” she says.

Jackson joined British Rail in 1978 as the operator’s first female trainee engineer, designing locomotives like the Class 91 before moving on to the interior design of passenger cars. She and her family moved to Australia when she was headhunted for a project director role overseeing several major train projects in New South Wales.

There, and in Victoria, she spent 24 years working in the industry, but when her hearing deteriorated, Jackson chose to retire at 56, and she and her family moved back to the UK in 2018. She bought her first DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera at the age of 61, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and joined a friendly photography group that arranged walks.

“At first, I had my camera on automatic; I didn’t know how to do anything else,” she laughs. She then signed up to two online courses – including one to learn editing software. Initially, due to lockdown restrictions, she focused on photographing what she could around the house, such as still-life and close-up shots, but as normality resumed, she started to learn about wildlife photography.

Taking photography seriously

Her breakthrough moment came during a post-COVID-19 trip to the Isle of Mull, where she saw golden eagles and sea eagles for the first time. She started entering competitions and won second place in the 2022 Society of International Nature & Wildlife Photographers’ Bird Photographer of the Year category with a golden eagle shot taken on the Scottish island.

“That’s where my wildlife passion kicked into place,” she beams. “It made me believe that this was something that I could do; something that I could be proud of and that was the turning point when I really started to take it seriously.”

Jackson achieved her associate level with the Royal Photographic Society in 2024 and is in the process of submitting her application for Fellowship. Her observation skills, honed during her engineering career, have seamlessly transferred to photography and she takes all her shots in manual mode.

The benefits of spending time outdoors

Although her wildlife photography career didn’t take off until after retirement, she’d always loved the outdoors. “Photography makes you slow down, breathe and take in the environment,” she says. “It’s good for my wellbeing and happiness – I can lose myself and forget those everyday worries.

“I have always loved the arts, but it doesn’t matter whether it’s photography or taking up watercolours out in the countryside – getting outside and doing something creative brings immense benefits to anybody. Photography did it for me; it replaced my career, but finding something else which challenges you and allows you to continue learning and developing is just as important.”

But why is that cognitive stimulation so crucial? And when it comes to creative pursuits like photography, what’s going on “under the hood?”

Why artistic pursuits are good for us

Jackson’s experience isn’t unique. There’s a growing body of research suggesting that taking part in artistic activities can help us age better. A major government-commissioned review undertaken for the Department for Culture, Media & Sport in 2024 found that arts engagement improves mental and physical health, reduces depression, pain and frailty, and may lower healthcare use, supporting overall wellbeing and healthier ageing.¹

Daisy Fancourt, co-author of the research, professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at UCL, and author of the new book Art Cure, suggests that engaging in creative activities – such as doing arts and crafts, reading, playing musical instruments and attending cultural events and performances – builds “cognitive reserve:” the brain’s resilience against cognitive decline.

“I’m sure photography has been beneficial to me, both getting out actively with my camera and when I’m editing pictures – I find it very relaxing,” says Jackson. “I don’t have deadlines and targets like you do when you’re working – the pressure’s no longer there – but I needed stimulus.”  

Another academic researching the impact of art on later living is Dr Julia Basso, assistant professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech and director of the Embodied Brain Lab. Her lab explores the body-brain connection and how art forms such as dance can impact brain function, mental health and social connections. 

Research suggests our brain ages more slowly when we engage in creative activities. That’s not metaphorical – it’s measurable. A 2025 study scanning the brains of nearly 1,500 people worldwide found that those who danced, made music, created visual art, or even played video games, showed younger brain patterns than their sedentary peers.²

As we age, neurodegeneration occurs in regions of the brain responsible for short-term and long-term memory, as well as socio-emotional processes. They undergo cell loss and literally shrink in volume – but according to Dr Basso, these same regions are also the most responsive to positive change, and physical activity can increase neurogenesis – the formation of new cells in the brain and wider nervous system.

But it’s not just the physical activity itself, says Dr Basso. “When it comes to art, the reflection afterwards also seems very important in terms of neural engagement. It’s something we do with dance and art often – there’s a talk back; a moment to digest it. It’s a time of emotional understanding and emotional cognitive integration.”

Creativity is an important tool for emotional regulation. Jackson, for example, finds that photography helps clear her mind of unhelpful thoughts. “I won’t say it’s stress, but you worry about your kids, even when they’re in their 20s and 30s,” she explains. “When I’m out with my camera, those worries are in the background. Even when I’m sitting at the computer post-processing, I’m 100% concentrating on what I’m doing.”

How art can make us more social

Back at the Embodied Brain Lab, Basso and her team are exploring whether there are greater benefits to participating in activities as a group, such as community arts or playing in an orchestra, over painting or practising an instrument alone. “Anytime you’re engaged in more social activity and you’re with others, you’re going to have more stimulation in your brain’s reward pathway – which controls your ability to feel pleasure – so, there will be differences.”

Any cognitive stimulation – whether with peers or alone – beats watching TV or doom scrolling though, she concedes. Just don’t overwhelm the system too quickly. “Dig into one thing initially, and get yourself embedded in a community,” she advises. “Maybe a class or two a week – and explore from there. Start small and then build.”

For more information about Michelle Jackson, visit her website. To learn more about Dr Julia C. Basso’s work, visit The Embodied Brain Laboratory website.

Sources:

1. Campbell, Denis. “Consuming Arts and Culture Is Good for Health and Wellbeing, Research Finds.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 17 Dec. 2024, www.theguardian.com/society/2024/dec/17/consuming-arts-and-culture-is-good-for-health-and-wellbeing-research-finds.

2. “International Study Shows Creative Experiences Delay Brain Aging.” Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/2025/international-study-shows-creative-experiences-delay-brain-aging/.

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