Photography enthusiasts who use ink cartridges to print out their favourite snaps may be interested to hear the finalists for a prestigious portrait award have been revealed.

The winner of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, which comes with a cheque for £12,000, will be announced on November 8th from a selection of five nominations.

They were chosen from a field of over 6,000 entries from 2,506 photographers with Sandy Nairne, director of the National Portrait Gallery, saying: "Five great portraits emerged from closely argued discussion amongst the judges and from another outstanding international submission for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize."

Works include a portrait of a teenage girl holding a guinea pig, from Jooney Woodward, who described the image as "striking" and "unsettling", as well as Christina and Mark by Dona Schwartz, which depicts a couple standing in the bedroom of their son, who has recently left home.

Individuals looking to emulate the work of the professionals in their own home may like to ensure they invest in quality print supplies, as it was recently stated by Andrew Ku of Tom's Hardware that specialist photo paper can greatly improve a printed snap.