A Darlington lecturer is employing technology to push back the boundaries of photographic art.

Mr Rob Elliot, who teaches electrical and electronics engineering, has used his expertise to produce a stunning new image of the Angel of the North which is being used on Darlington college of technology's striking 2001 greetings card.

Initially, it took hundreds of hours of work to refine the photograph taken two years ago.

"The circles of light are created by lense flare, which I digitally enhanced, although the sun really was there. I used standard professional photographic film and a conventional camera. It produces a very high quality image," said Mr Elliot.

The photograph was taken from a portfolio of his landscape work and only 800 Christmas cards have been produced to preserve its limited status.

It was while he was a student at Darlington college in the 70s that he sold his first photograph - a mess photograph for a regiment based out at Barnard Castle.

He went on to combine photography and graphic design, which he still does part-time.

His limited edition series of Scottish landscapes, Painting with Light, were first exhibited at the world-famous Beverley Wilshire hotel in Beverley Hills, California. "If you saw the film Pretty Woman - that was the hotel. It was wild. I kept thinking 'My God I can't believe this is happening. There was just me and an Australian artist.

"That was done on canvas, but now I am using more high-tech material. Printing technology has increased tremendously over the last five years."

Mr Elliot has two more pieces of work in the pipeline, both set in Edinburgh. One is entitled Auld Reekie and is almost ready to be exhibited.

The other is a scene he came across in a courtyard.

"There were two apple trees in full bloom, next to a pile of builders' bricks. The sun was coming through behind the blossom and it was glowing against blue shadows in the corners and the pile of bricks. It is going to be absolutely gorgeous," he said.