Camilla Jessel Panufnik has had 27 books published with her own text and photographs and has photographically illustrated numerous other books, including the first edition of the blockbuster BABY & CHILD by Dr. Penelope Leach.

She started the whole trend in books designed to overcome children's fears with her innovatory PAUL IN HOSPITAL, which was a best seller for over 2 decades. She then received a research grant from the Nuffield Foundation to produce an influential children's book, MARKS WHEELCHAIR ADVENTURES that, years ahead of its time, opened up the issue of the acceptance of disability by the public in general and children in particular. Her two books on the Royal Ballet School both have been very popular with children the first of them wining the Children's Choice Award. In her previous book on photography CATCHING THE MOMENT, she shares the secrets of photographing children, and she has written several books on birth and on baby and child development. Her books are published in several languages and both sides of the Atlantic.

Camilla has worked as a freelance writer and photographer for The Guardian, The Times, The Times Educational Supplement, and has had exhibitions in many cities, including London, New York, Warsaw, Krakow and one at the Royal Photographic Society (of which she was made a Fellow while still in her 20s).

Camilla has taken fund raising photographs for many leading voluntary organisations, working in Somalia, Uganda, Morocco, Cambodia and Vietnam (with land mine victims) as well as in deprived areas in Britain. She is currently involved in helping many such projects.

A couple of years ago, after a whiplash neck injury, she was unable for a while to use heavy cameras, at which point she started to experiment with compact digital cameras. She is now completely enamoured of the new generation of small digital cameras and is using them professionally full time. Her approach on her new book is entirely original, based on her own experience as well as continued rather desperate questioning about the new technology by a great number of colleagues and acquaintances.

Camilla was born in a Kentish village, was taken to India by her parents aged 16, and later studied French literature at the Sorbonne University in Paris. She was married to the distinguished composer and conductor, Sir Andrzej Panufnik. She has two children, both successful composers, one classically orientated, the other a DJ.