IAIN Laing had to rise early to capture his stunning picture of Salisbury Cathedral on a frosty morning.

However, the Salisbury photographer found it well worth his efforts when he was voted into first place in the Salisbury Journal and Visit Wiltshire Photographic Competition.

Mr Laing, whose prize included a Nikon Coolpix P100 with 26x zoom camera, said: “I never mind the early mornings if I can get the shot that I want. However, I would be the first to admit it doesn’t always work out. I tried to get the sunrise at Stonehenge the other day, but the position of the sun with the stones was wrong.”

That was not such a problem for one of the runner’s up – Paul Hope, from Durrington. His shot of the sun coming up at the ancient monument was described as “stunning” by the judges.

Paul, a golf-club groundsman, is another early riser. “I am usually up from 3am because that’s the time I need to get ready for work. One of the bonuses is seeing the sun come up and the beautiful pictures it makes.

“I have collected so many pictures now that we are going to put them together for a calendar and sell it for charity at the golf club.”

Steven Hillier, from Collingbourne Kingston, chose a different theme for his submission. His shot of a canal boat at Crofton was also judged worthy of a runner’s up prize.

Richard Ramsay, another Salisbury man and former winner of the competition, was the final runner up with his photograph taken at Cherhill Down.

Bryn Jones, marketing manager at VisitWiltshire, said: “Anyone who lives and visits Wiltshire will know that we have some of the most breathtaking landscapes and iconic attractions in the country.

“The entries received in this, the first photography competition in which VisitWiltshire has teamed up with the Newsquest newspapers in Wiltshire, have been of a very high standard.

“We're looking forward to using the winning entries to promote Wiltshire on our website and in our publications."

* For a look at the winning pictures see today's Salisbury Journal.