A Thanet-based photographer has been praised for his "tender and affectionate" photography of Kent as he captured third place in worldwide competition.

Ramsgate's Ed Thompson was shortlisted in the Sony World Photography Awards in the category Brief, and last night snapped up a runner-up position for his series, In the Garden of England.

The 38-year-old's work follows a narrative of everyday English life, specifically focusing on the south east.

Ed, who recently welcomed twin daughters, took the photos over an 18-month period, targetting themes of nostalgia, class and what he describes as the "beautiful, uncanny everyday English life."

His work has been published in international magazines from the National Geographic Magazine to The Guardian Weekend.

The university lecturer also appears on major broadcast outlets as a photography commentator.

The category Ed's work was entered into, Brief, asked the professional photographers to respond to the theme identity.

He was announced in third place at a ceremony in London last night (Wednesday).

Judge Emma Lewis, who is assistant curator at Tate, hailed Ed for his "careful selection".

She said: "This was a very interesting response to the idea of identity, because it is identity through a sense of place.

"What really stood out about this project is that is was a very tender and affectionate look at the south east of England.

"This was shot over a period of 18 years, and you can tell that the photographer has made a very careful selection of a mixture of different types of images, including portraits of people and landscapes, that all together give you a really astute sense of what this region is really about."

Photos from Ed's collection, along with work from other finalists, will be on display at Somerset House from today until Monday, May 6.

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