Life through a lens helps Leah to snap up an award

PICTURES of Prodigy frontman Keith Flint diving into a sea of fans and a pensioner feeding foxes have helped a Derby Telegraph photographer secure a top award.

Trainee photographer Leah McLaren picked up the National Council for the Training of Journalists images of the year award at a ceremony in London – and it is her second industry accolade this year.

Judges chose 24-year-old Leah's images because her pictures showed "great flair and creativity".

Leah said: "It is fantastic to be nominated for an award like this, let alone be named as the winner as the standard was so high."

Leah submitted three photographs that demonstrated a range of skills.

Her portfolio consisted of a photograph of Keith Flint, from dance group Prodigy, diving into the crowd at the Download Festival, a portrait of three-year-old Willow McDonald, who has to undergo 10 hours of dialysis a day, and a snap of Richard Lavelle feeding foxes in his back garden.

Leah, who accepted the award in the trainee category from the director of BBC News, Helen Boaden, said: "I was sent out to the job with a reporter and we didn't know what to expect. We waited for more than an hour and then these foxes arrived, it was amazing.

"Any sound from me or the camera scared the animals so I had to be as quiet as possible, but I got the shot in the end.

"The picture of Keith Flint was taken just after I had finished working and was in the crowd watching the gig. When he jumped into the sea of fans I knew I had to get the picture as no other photographer was in that position.

"Photographing Willow was also challenging as she was so shy, so I spent a lot of time with her, trying to make her laugh."

Leah started at the Derby Telegraph in 2003 as a commercial photographer, taking pictures for the Baby of the Year competitions and family portraits. She completed a degree in photography at Nottingham Trent University and in 2007 landed a job in the Telegraph's editorial team as a trainee photographer.

Earlier this year, Leah was named as Sports Photographer of the Year in the Press Gazette Awards for regional newspapers.

Derby Telegraph picture editor Victoria Wilcox said: "Leah's enthusiasm and skill enable her to achieve excellent results. She manages to exceed my expectations, often on a daily basis.

"The three images Leah entered show her versatility in very different situations.

"From capturing a rare sight at night, to coaxing a small child into an adorable pose, to a loud packed concert in a field among hundreds of people, Leah proves she is perfectly adaptable and can still get great results under pressure."

Derby Telegraph reporters Jonny Birkin and Chris Jones were also shortlisted for the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in Journalism in the trainee features of the year category and news journalism category respectively.