East Sussex teenager wins two photography prizes on same day

Billy has been interested in wildlife photography for about five years

A teenager has won two major photography prizes on the same day.

Billy Evans-Freke, 16, won the RSPB Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year as well as the South Downs National Park photography award in his age category.

Billy, who is from East Sussex, said he was "in shock" and "still can't quite believe it".

He has been interested in photography since the age of ten.

The teenager won the RSPB prize after capturing an image, named Branching Out, of a young tawny owl in woodland near his house.

Billy took the photograph after hearing a commotion with a blackbird and the high-pitched squeak of an owlet.

Billy waited about an hour to capture the owlet in woodland near his home

The second image, titled Golden Egret, was taken at Cuckmere Haven and won the South Downs National Park photography award for his age group.

Billy said he was walking there with his mum and dogs when he spotted the egret in "the perfect spot".

"I was crawling along the path and eventually I got there and the light came out from behind the clouds and it was perfect," he said.

This image of an egret at sunset was taken at Cuckmere Haven - one of Billy's favourite places to find wading birds

Billy first became involved in photography about five years ago when a local wildlife photographer sparked his interest.

"Ever since then I knew it was something I wanted to do," he said.

He said the trick to taking a great picture was "right place, right time".

"You just have to spend the time out in nature and once you have that knowledge, it's kind of everything else happens."

"When you have a passion you just follow it, and I just love wildlife, so it's something that I really enjoy doing," he said.

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