Never did local Rachel Ingram think she would be doing exactly that when she grew up.

As a photographer for the Australian Army, Miss Ingram was one of the first female photographers to be out on the frontline.

She was born in Wellington and left in 1994 to join the forces to fight for our country.

“It’s something I wanted to do,” she said.

“I never imagined myself where I am today.

“Who would have thought? I never thought I would be here.”

The 39-year-old returned home from Afghanistan on New Year’s Eve, and said the experiences she had were amazing.

“It’s very different and very active,” she said.

“It’s hard to sum up. It’s very extreme out there.

“I wasn’t scared being there, I’m apprehensive occasionally.”

After watching a colleague die from a bomb hidden in the ground, Miss Ingram said she doesn’t take anything for granted.

“If watching that doesn’t scare you, then you’re not human,” she said.

“You see a lot and ever since then I’ve been treading lightly.

“You make close bonds with everyone over there because they are all you have. We all look out for each other.”

Travelling constantly, the photographer has been to East Timor five times, the Solomon Islands, Vietnam, Singapore and now Afghanistan.

“When you go to third world countries, the kids don’t even have shoes,” Miss Ingram said.

“And they don’t have anything over there, yet you never see them unhappy.

“You give them a tennis ball and they think it’s the best thing in the world.

“They also love redskins - they would follow us around for ages trying to get more off us.”

Currently living in Canberra when she is not overseas, Miss Ingram attended St Mary’s Central School until Year 10.

“I went to nine countries last year and two so far this year,” she said.

“You meet so many wonderful people.

“It is definitely a wonderful experience.”