AN AMATEUR photographer from Highbridge has won a prestigious international photography award at his first attempt.

Alistair Campbell, of Burnham Road, was named overall portrait winner at the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers Print Competition held in London.

Alistair, 31, saw off competition from more than 500 hundred entrants from around the world with his photograph which was also awarded the best in the Avante Garde portrait category.

Speaking to the Weekly News, he said: “I really didn’t expect to it, to be honest.

“I initially entered the competition to get a better gauge of where my photography was and really didn’t think I’d come away with two awards.”

The freelance filmmaker took up photography two years ago when he bought a camera to make films on and found that he had a talent for shooting still images as well as moving ones.

“With filming there’s a lot of editing and post production so it can take time,” he said.

“I enjoyed being able to take photos and have something finished at the end of the day.”

Alistair, who runs the studio at The Engine Room in Bridgwater, says that winning the awards has gained him recognition in the industry.

He said: “The best thing to come out of it is that it has now given me the chance to work with and learn from some great photographers.”