Football photographer Mark is top of the Premier League

Football photographer Mark is top of the Premier League A WEEK is a long time in politics - and can feel even longer in football - so 20 years of Premier League action must seem like an eon. "It is great to get that type of recognition from your peers. On May 31 he was honoured for his work at the front line of football photography when he was named Barclays Photographer of the 20 Seasons. "All the guys from the nationals came up to me and congratulated me, saying 'you deserve it'. Although Mark left school with two O-levels and no formal training in photography, he gradually made inroads into the profession after buying "bits of cameras" and getting out in the field. Among the shots which caught the judges' attention was one Mark snapped of Brian Clough, notorious manager of Nottingham Forest, leaving the pitch after his final match at the club. Mark, who is a photographer with Offside Sports, was awarded an official Barclays award and £10,000 of photographic equipment. He says that was the way of 1970s photographers asking for someone else to "stick their hands in hazardous chemicals". "It means everything to me," Mark told the Gazette. The 55-year-old said: "It all really came out of my passion for football. Mark, of Winchmore Hill, got his lucky break after replying to a jobcentre advertisement searching for a photographer's assistant. Although Mark did not think it was a great shot at the time, he admits: "It's in the eye of the beholder. Mark Leech began his career "putting his hands in hazardous chemicals" in 1973 - when the top flight of football was still called Division 1. ". "With Brian Clough, I think it made an impression because he was a special guy and it was the first-ever season of the Premier League. His work will be on display as part of the Barclays Premier League 20 Seasons photography exhibition on June 18 and 19 in the Century Club in Shaftesbury Avenue, central London. Football photographer Mark is top of the Premier League Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 12/06/2012