THE winner has been announced of this month's photographic competition in The Press.

This spectacular black and white picture of Aysgarth Falls, in Wensleydale, was taken by Jeremy Turner.

And next month the winner will receive a three-hour masterclass from an award-winning photographic company.

Martin Oates, chief photographer at The Press, explained why he had chosen Mr Turner's picture as the winner.

He said: "As usual there was a very high standard of entries and it was difficult to pick an out-and-out winner. But this one of Aysgarth Falls is visually eye-catching and the use of a slow shutter speed really captures the feeling of the water's movement.

"As well as the scenic shots we also had an excellent pet portrait this month, which proves that not all commended entries have to be images of our stunning North Yorkshire landscape."

Runners-up in this month's competition were Tony Flanagan, with an atmospheric shot of Castle Howard lake taken when the sun was low down in the sky, and Paul Mountain, who took a close up picture of a Dalmatian dog, which Martin said made good use of the available light. Amateur photographers are being urged to get their best snaps in for next month's picture competition. Winners will have their winning photo featured in The Press and it is also used as the image of the month for our online calendar.

But, best of all, the winner of May's competition will receive a photography master class from the award-winning FNS Photography.

The company, which is based in state-of-the-art studios in Boroughbridge, set in beautiful landscaped grounds, specialises in distinctive wedding, portrait and commercial photography created with real passion and flair.

The winner of May's Picture Of The Month competition will be tutored by proprietors Andy Hopkinson and Sharon Malone, with top tips on getting the most from your photography.

All pictures for May's competition should be emailed to richard. gowland@ycp.co.uk with Your Pictures as the subject heading.