Treble win for Mark's steel pics

Sheffield's steel making prowess has proved a winning formula in a national photography competition for the third time.

Mark Tomlinson, Business Development Manager of Sheffield Forgemasters, was announced winner of the annual EEF Heroes of Modern UK Manufacturing Photography Competition at EEF’s National Gala Dinner in London.

It was the third time Mark has won the competition and his award-winning image this year, which won the Best Amateur Photographer Award, captured the beauty of a steel pour at Forgemasters' Brightside Lane melt shop.

Mark, who lives in Sheffield, also won the top amateur EEF photography award in 2010 and 2011.

Photographers were challenged by EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, to capture the heroic people, products, places or processes that make UK manufacturing great. There were three entry categories for professional, amateur and young people aged 14-19.

Mark's photograph ‘Clearing the Gate’ was taken at Sheffield Forgemasters and captures the pouring of one of the world’s largest steel castings - a process that requires meticulous planning and months of highly-specialised modelling.

Mark said: “I’m delighted to have won this award and that my passion for photography has been recognised, not just once, but three times now in this competition. Seeing my work on display alongside so many other fantastic images of UK manufacturing in the House of Commons has been extremely rewarding.

“Manufacturing is so diverse and provides lots of opportunities for dramatic shots. It’s challenging as there are so many different ways of looking at it, whether it’s traditional or modern manufacturing, an up-close shot of an engineer, or the intricate manufacturing process itself.”

Ian Isaac, head of Lombard, sponsors of the competition, said:“Congratulations to Mark for successfully capturing the spirit and dynamism of modern-day UK manufacturing. The standard of photographs gets better and better each year in the competition and Mark’s image wowed the audience and judges alike.”

The free-to-enter competition, now in its sixth year, was organised by the EEF and supported by Canon and The Times and aims to raise the profile of British manufacturing by showcasing the industry’s creativity, diversity and heritage through inspiring photography.

Mark shares a prize of £5,000 worth of photography equipment sponsored by Canon with the other winners and runners up.