KEVIN Potter landed a £500 prize for taking the best picture of Blenheim Palace.

Mr Potter, pictured left with his photo, only took up photography 18 months ago when his fiancee Laura bought him a camera as an engagement present.

But his picture of geese in flight in front of the palace was judged the winner of the palace’s summer photography competition, with the theme Summer at Blenheim Palace.

The palace invited visitors to send their pictures for its first amateur competition, which was run on Facebook. Judges looked for photographs showing the best parts of their visits to the world famous palace at Woodstock.

With more than 370 entries, photographs featured the palace’s architecture, the gardens and wildlife, tranquil lake scenes, and unusual places people had explored.

Mr Potter, who lives near Oxford, said: “Blenheim Palace is a stunning location for photographers. I saw the flock of geese take off while on an early wander around the grounds before the classic car show started, and managed to capture the image, with my camera on all the wrong settings for a fast moving subject.

“So I was really happy and very lucky. I hope everyone will enjoy looking at all the competition photos, giving them inspiration to pick up a camera and snap away.”

He won a £500 voucher for camera equipment donated by Morris Photographic Centre. Palace PR and marketing manager Hannah Payne said: “We were so impressed with the quality of the entries.”