Photographers honoured

Photographers honoured

3 October 2012

STRANGFORD press photographers Bill and Gerard Smyth have scooped major awards at the prestigious Northern Ireland Press Photographer of the Year awards.

The local brothers were the men in the big picture at the competition which attracted well over 400 entries from the Province’s top photographers.

The gala event was held at Belfast’s Zen Restaurant, with Bill winning the much coveted Political Photographer of the Year accolade with his picture of Stormont Assembly election candidate Magdalena Wolska climbing a ladder with her poster.

Bill also came runner up in the Business/PR category with his image of Ardglass Viking Stephen McCann launching the annual Viking boat race on the River Lagan.

Olympic gold medalist Dame Mary Peters presented Gerard with the John Harrison Memorial Cup for excellence in youth sports photography, an award he also won last year.

And Gerard also won a merit award for his black and white portrait of Strangford bird enthusiast, Francie Black.