Photographer snaps up top national honour at awards

Helen Turton won the British Institute of Professional Photography national award with images of Yorkshire triathletes Alistair Brownlee and Philip Graves, along with images from the sets of ITV dramas Lost in Austen and The Royal, both shot in and around Yorkshire.

She also submitted photos of actress Brenda Blethyn plus many others including architectural images of Leeds University and the city's St James's Hospital.

Helen, 35, who lives in Meanwood, Leeds, with husband Tom, has been a photographer for 15 years.

She launched her business, Helen Turton Photography, in 2007 when she decided to go freelance from a full-time

job as ITV's publicity photographer which involved taking shots on the sets of A Touch of Frost, My Parents are Aliens, Heartbeat, Emmerdale and many more.

"I nearly fell off my chair when they announced my name as the winner in this category of awards," she said.

"I knew I had been nominated but the BIPP has such talented members I really didn't think I had a chance.

"There were 100 people who qualified this year as a licentiate and so to be awarded the 'best' was a huge but incredible surprise."