The Wiltshire Times photographer Trevor Porter is making his own headlines by scooping an international award as an unsung hero.

Mr Porter picked up the award at a glittering ceremony in Virginia, USA, at the headquarters of Gannett, the parent company of the Times owners Newsquest.

He collected the accolade last week, after being commended for pulling out all the stops to get the best pictures and stories.

He was the only British journalist from Newsquest to be in the frame for an award.

“When you get up in the morning, you just don’t know what the day is going to throw at you. I have been very lucky in my time.

“My grandmother bought me my first camera when I was 12, but I never really had a passion for it. It was only when I was stage rallying that I fell into photography.

“I’ve had a picture on every national’s front page and you can’t help but get a buzz when that happens.”

His most famous image was taken during the storm surrounding Tory Cabinet Minister Cecil Parkinson’s affair with secretary Sarah Keays in 1983, when the new mother was pictured with Mr Parkinson’s lovechild, Flora.

Mr Porter said: “All of the photographers were camped outside the house for hours.

“In the end, they said that she can’t be in there and so they went off to the pub, but I stayed and five minutes later she came out with the baby in her arms.

“It was very rewarding to know that I had scooped everyone and I’d got the picture that everyone wanted.”

Mr Porter was nominated by Wiltshire Times editor Gary Lawrence. He commended him for his perseverance in getting the best pictures, citing the time he hid for six hours in a building in Lacock to snap the filming of Harry Potter, an image craved by the world’s media.

Mr Lawrence said: “It is not just his photography that we rely on. He has got that ethic that if something needs doing, he’ll do it.”

He has taken photos for the Times since 1980 and has worked for the company full time since 1999, becoming a well-known figure across Wiltshire and, in particular, his hometownTrowbridge.

His other memorable photos include capturing the story of a 12-year-old boy in Sierra Leone, who had his leg amputated in the height of the conflict.

Mr Porter said: “That meant a lot to me. The lad had lost his parents and a mine went off and they had to cut his leg off. It left me very tearful. I’d love to go back one day and see what he is doing now.”

He said takes inspiration in his job from his father, John Porter, who once told him: “If you’re going to do a job, do it properly.”

“He gave me the inspiration and I’ve always stuck to that,” added Mr Porter. “You only get out of a job what you put into it.”