Photography award for Kirkcaldy pupil

Having been recognised by the Rotary Club of Kirkcaldy two years ago, sixth year Balwearie High School pupil Euan Kennedy has continued to capture beautiful scenes.

And it was his photograph of a train crossing the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct that caught the attention of the judges in the Gordon Jack Young Photographer of the Year competition, organised in memory of Daily Mail photographer Gordon Jack, who suffered a heart attack while covering the wedding of Andy Murray and Kim Sears in April 2015.

Euan’s photograph was chosen from hundreds of entries and, as well as the honour of being the first recipient of the award, judged by top industry experts and Gordon’s family, Euan also received a EOS 1200D camera kit and £500.

Euan told the Press the win came as quite a shock.

“I applied just before Christmas last year; I thought I might as well give it a go.

“So when my granddad got a call in June to say that I won, it was a bit of a surprise.”

Euan first got into photography at the age of nine, having been given a camera by his photography-loving granddad Richard on a trip to Loch Ness. “I just had a play about with it and really enjoyed it, so kept it up,” said Euan.

For the winning image, Euan was inspired after travelling across the viaduct with his family.

“As we came over the viaduct, I just knew I had to get a photo of the scene from the mountain, so my dad and I came back the next day and made sure we were there nice and prompt for the train going across.”

For now, the schoolboy has hopes of studying law at university but says photography will always be a handy back-up.