PHOTOGRAPHER Brian Brown has won the top prize for portraits in the south east region of the Master Photographers' Association awards.

Professional photographers from Kent, Sussex and Surrey entered the awards.

Brian, from River, submitted three pictures, one of dancer Sacha Buckingham from Folkestone, and two other model portfolio portraits. But it was the portrait of Sacha that caught the judges' imagination.

Brian will now be able to enter these portraits in the Master Photographers' Association annual competition against colleagues from around the country.

Said Brian: "Since going fully digital 18 months ago it has allowed me to become more creative as a photographer."