A photographer who started his own business at 16-years-old has won a national photography competition.

Dan Starling topped the Rotary Great Britain & Ireland senior competition, which was themed ‘wild nature’ for this year with his entry of a puffin.

Dan, from Soham, came out on top in the senior Cambridge & District contest, before progressing into the national final, where he beat other photographers from across the country to first prize.

“Long Road Sixth Form College put me forward for the competition where if you do well in the county competition, you got put through to the district and so on,” he said.

“I don’t know exactly how many took part, but it was apparently thousands.”

Ely Standard: Dan Starling launched his own photography business aged 16 and has gone onto win a national young photographer competition.Dan Starling launched his own photography business aged 16 and has gone onto win a national young photographer competition. (Image: Supplied/Laura Starling)

Entrants were asked to produce and submit one photograph based on ‘wild nature’ in colour or black or white.

The Young Photographer Competition takes place over three stages, where winners of the Cambridge competition go through to the East Anglian contest before heading to the national final.

Dan added: “I was amazed as I didn’t think it would go anywhere!”