A YOUNG woman kneeling on a bed as sunshine pours through the window has given a major boost to the career of Tenbury photographer Sam Irvine.

It has won the 30-year-old the top award in a competition run by ‘Professional Photographer’ magazine.

His success is also proof that taking good pictures does not necessarily require the latest high cost digital cameras.

Sam, who lives in Newnham Bridge, has been taking photographs professionally for 10 years.

This included eight years concentrating on landscapes before switching his focus just over two years ago to fashion and portraits.

He is now building his portfolio and hopes that the accolade as ‘professional photographer of the year’ will give his business Sam Irvine Photography a boost.

“I took the winning photograph in the spring and it was one of those occasions when the light was good and everything was just right,” said Sam.

“The photograph was taken with my 40-year-old Rolleicord TLR and I just fired off a couple of shots.”

As well as using digital cameras Sam also works with old fashioned film and says that he likes both and does not have a preference, believing that there is a place for both.

But he does say that while he will work on editing the digital photographs those that are taken on film are generally not changed as they are shown as they appear from the camera.

He said that one of the reasons that the winning photograph works so well is that it was taken using natural light with a minimal of intervention.

The judges said that they were particularly attracted by the atmosphere of the image.