Shirley was born and educated in England. She is a freelance photographer and writer. Her love of the ocean came early for as a toddler she accompanied her mother along the sea shores of East England gathering shell fish for the local markets. Her mother, Nelly, assigned her the job of collecting “Winkles” (Sea Snails), an English delicacy from the pilings along the Suffolk Sea Shore. Home is now Panama City Beach, Florida where she lives with her husband, Hal, and two cats named, “Willum” and "Mishka".

Shirley learned to dive 21 years ago while her husband was stationed in Izmir, Turkey with NATO. During the last twelve years, Shirley and her husband have worked as the managerial team aboard various live-aboard dive boats in the Bahamas, Belize, and the Caribbean. During this time she had the opportunity to model for many well know underwater photographers. This inspired her to get on the other side of the camera. Her work has appeared in many magazines such as, Skin Diver, Scuba Times, Underwater USA, Southern Boating, Sea Frontiers, and many local publications.

Her love of nature can be seen in her narrated slide presentations, “Colours” and “Dive Like an Egyptian.” The humorous tales of fishy friends and the way she photography them can put a smile on many a face. Adventures of hiking up waterfalls and climbing rain forest to capture and preserve it on film are part of her life. Using her camera as a paint brush, she captures the wonders of the ocean and the beauty of the areas she visits.

When visiting the islands, she lectures to local school children on marine life and conservation. To aid the environment a percentage from the sale of her photographs and lectures are donated toward reef preservation and education.

Traveling with Shirley on one of her photo tours is an exciting way to see the island or Florida as locals see it. All of the guides and instructors are from the local areas. This gives you an opportunity to visit interesting out of the way places with unusual crafts and customs.

Shirley has an extensive photo stock library of marine, rainforests, islands, birds, and people. She welcomes inquiries from interested parties.