Image of inner torment has vicar reflecting on success

His picture, shot in Winchester Cathedral, was placed first in Round Four of the Photographer of the Year competition, featured in the November issue of Photography Monthly.

The theme was Our Reflections and Mr Holzapfel explained that he saw the central figure - a sculpture by Antony Gormley, creator of the Angel of the North - as someone with an inner conflict, wrestling with his emotions.

"You could have knocked me down with a feather when they told me I'd won, because you never think you'll win a national competition with thousands of entries," he said.

"I won a couple of lenses valued at about £800 and I'm really encouraged by it."

In the overall standing for the title of Photographer of the Year, Mr Holzapfel is now in joint sixth place, with three rounds still to go.

"I have one or two pictures in mind for the next round, People at Work," he said.

Thought-provoking

His talent as a photographer first came to local and national fame in 1999, with an exhibition of controversial and thought-provoking images at Worcester Cathedral.

Black and white images of a crucifix flanked by dead pigs, a bloodied doll and a heroin needle being hammered into a man's arm caused controversy.

But Mr Holzapfel - then vicar of Dines Green, Worcester - urged people to look for the deeper meaning behind his work.

"I took up photography 14 years ago, after my father died and I inherited his photographic equipment," he said.

Many of his pictures, including a collection of photographs taken at Auschwitz, have appeared in the national Press and photographic magazines.

He is a member of the Friends of Creative Monochrome and three of his photographs have been selected to appear in the Best of Friends Yearbook, to be published before Christmas by Arem Publishing.

The Reflections photograph was shot on an Olympus OM-4Ti, using Kodak TMAX 100 film. It was scanned and printed on an Epson Stylus 2100 inkjet printer.