AN AMATEUR photographer has given two of his pictures to the Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane after impressing at an art exhibition.

Kevin Turner, from Brighton Hill, donated the pictures, which depict cobwebs on a bush and rocks with water spray, to Councillor David Leeks at the Civic Offices.

The 51-year-old keen snapper altered the images using software on his computer and they now adorn the walls of the Mayor’s Parlour.

It has been a quick rise to fame for Kevin, who only had his first exhibition in January. He explained: “I have been playing with photos for a few years now and decided to contact Fairfields Arts Centre to see if they could help me to take it further.

“After meeting director Andy Buchanan, he said I should put some of my pictures in an exhibition. I thought he only meant one or two, but he ended up giving me a whole room.”

Kevin runs a land surveying business and said he is more comfortable with facts and figures than with a camera. He added: “It is nice as a local photographer to be given this opportunity, and I am pleased to think that these pictures are up in the Mayor’s Parlour.”

Cllr Leeks, whose year of office ends this week, said: “The pictures are really fantastic. I wish Kevin every success.”