I amassed 27 points in the competition and have been officially named as the Wedding Photojournalist Association’s “UK Wedding Photojournalist of the Year 2009″. Furthermore I finished as second runner up in the overall WPJA “Photographer of the Year” worldwide competition. Needless to say, I’m absolutely elated at the result which I’ve achieved in only my second full year as a WPJA member.

I’d like to thank my wife, my daughters, my friends and members of my family on both sides for their terrific support & encouragement over the years. Thanks especially to my couples and especially those in 2009 without whom this award would have been impossible. And finally to my Dad, for introducing me to my lifelong passion for documentary photography 32 years ago, getting me hooked on photography at the tender age of 12. The years of practice as the school photojournalist have finally paid off!

Time now to get off my laurels, continue along the road, work harder at what I do and improve even more… in the meantime, where’s the champers? ;o)

Recent stories run in the national daily press have suggested that Jon Venables (who was convicted of murdering Jamie Bulger) is now going by the name of David Calvert. Since then David’s photography site has had over 50,000 hits. Normally I’d be thrilled that his site is so popular, but at the moment he is obviously very concerned.

As his colleague I am doing all I can to help David disassociate himself from this dreadful story. He is in no way related to David Calvert of Fleetwood, who has also been highlighted in the press and is in no way connected to the tragic case of Jamie Bulger.

David, 46, is a national award winning photographer and his business David Calvert Photography, based in Hertfordshire, specialises in family and child portraiture. David has my complete support in these difficult circumstances and I hope very much that they pass without impact to him, his own family or his business.