Kevin O'Brien got his first glimpse of Berwickshire five years ago when he met his partner Liz and after falling in love with the area, opened up the Fine Art Gallery in Church Street at the end of last year.
And Kevin said originating from a place with a strong farming fraternity has allowed him to make the adjustment to life in Eyemouth quite easily - the only real difference being that the focus is on fishing.
"Where I lived in Somerset was a small village with a really tight knit community who were largely involved with farming," he said.
"Living there I saw many of them go through some hard times with foot and mouth etc and even though I've not lived in the town for too long, it's clear that those involved with the fishing industry in Eyemouth are up against it."
Kevin started work on 'The Eyemouth Project' in January and it is the ups and downs experienced by those working in the town that have been the main inspiration.
"When I first started the project I was a stranger in the town and people were very curious when they saw me walking along the harbour taking photos but now they've got to know me they're quite happy to share things with me which is just as well as I'll strike up a conversation with anyone!
"From living in the area and speaking to various people it's obvious that diving is becoming a big thing up here and some of the fishermen are feeling that they're being pushed out a bit.
"The Government aren't doing anything to help them and more and more pontoons are being placed in and around the harbour which is making life difficult for fishing boats.
"And times have changed with a lot of fish sold at sea before it has landed- people in Eyemouth are desperate for the town to get its fish market back.
"People are also concerned about the future of the ice plant, they are worried that bigger boats will go to Fraserburgh if the plant closes."
Taking his camera around Eyemouth and into the heart of the fishing industry has allowed Kevin to get some fantastic shots, some never captured by anyone else and he admitted that some pictures have required a lot more effort than others.
"No-one has really seen the inside of the smokehouse at Waddell's before so when owner Cameron Crombie invited me in to get some images I just wanted to make sure I got something impressive.
"However, trying to capture Cameron hanging the fish proved to be very tricky.
"There's tar all over the walls in there and using the flash was causing problems so I had to use a very long exposure.
"I expect there will be more difficult shots to come as I've been invited to go out to sea with some fishing boats in the evening. I'm hoping to get some really good pictures but I'm sure it'll be quite hard- everyday has been a challenge so far since I started the project."
Kevin has had to balance The Eyemouth Project with running the Fine Art Gallery as well as his part time job as a painter and decorator; not bad for some one who took up photography as a spare of the moment thing.
"I was a DJ for many years in the 1970s and 80s and I travelled all over," Kevin continued.
"I loved the job but one day I sat down and thought I'd missed a real opportunity.
"I'd been to so many places and met so many people yet I had nothing to look back on so I decided to take a City and Guilds course in photography in 1984 and took it from there.
"It's fantastic to be able to look back at pictures you've taken and see how things have changed.
"This is particularly the case with landscapes; when you take a picture an area can be completely unspoilt but when you go back a few years later there might be a load of houses or factories there."
And it's not just Kevin's photographic skills which have been tested during the project.
He is also working hard to get the stories behind the pictures which has so far led to him meeting some entertaining characters and be party to some interesting tales.
"I haven't done too much interviewing so far, I'm going to getting cracking with that soon but everyone I've taken photos of so far has been happy to share some stories with me.
"For example Cameron has been working at Waddell's since he's been at school and now runs the place and then there's different generations of the Loughs working at their fishmongers on Northburn Road.
"Fishing families aren't as common as they used to be so it's good that Eyemouth still has some of that tradition."
He hopes that the Project, which will take the form of a photographic documentary, exhibition and portfolio, will help people in the town learn things they never knew and be a lasting memory for many.
Kevin's aim is to have all of the groundwork completed by December so that the exhibition can be up and running in the Fine Art Gallery in the town's Church Street in January or February next year.
And he already has ambitions to take on similar projects in the very near future.
"Having experienced farming in Somerset I am quite keen to do some work with people involved in the industry in Berwickshire and also extend my research on the fishing trade to other harbours in the area.
"They are both trades that many people seem to take for granted and fishing particularly is a very dangerous job.
"I want the project to be a fitting tribute to those involved."