He then swiftly followed up his category win by taking the regional competition's ultimate accolade of 'Commercial Photographer of the Year.' The award ceremony took place on 21st April 2010.

More surprising still, is that 'J' Collingridge, 30, only picked up his first camera two years ago and it was on his girlfriend's suggestion he decided to take the degree course at Kirklees College, Dewsbury, which is affiliated to Huddersfield University.

The prizewinning photo is a stunning representation of the Sir Richard MacCormac-designed Southwark station, part of the Jubilee Line extension, which opened to the public in 1999.

J explains: "Because members of the public aren't allowed to photograph in the London Underground, I applied to the LU film office for a permit and arranged with them to visit some of the Jubilee stations while there were engineering works going on. This meant that the stations would be closed giving me the 'Empty Underground' look I wanted. It was really quite spooky being on your own down there!"

The early morning scheduling meant J had to twice leave his Huddersfield home at 2am to travel down to London because of restrictions at stations.

He says: "I knew what shots I wanted and I was determined to get them. Originally my plan was to photograph Canary Wharf station; the architecture in the ticket area has always caught my eye but when I arrived there the station staff were a bit wary of letting me use my tripod for the shots so I decided to try a different location. The industrial look of both Westminster and Southwark stations has long fascinated me so I decided to shoot my images there instead. The actual winning image was taken at Southwark station at exactly 6.06 am (if you look closely you can see the time on the print!)"

J has recently set up his own website (www.jcollingridgephotography.co.uk) where you can see more of his work.

J says his dream project would be to do a series of prints from underground systems around the world.

"I really love some of the modern buildings that are currently emerging, especially some of these mammoth commercial and apartment buildings that are being built in places like Dubai."

And J's philosophy for his new photography business?

"I pride myself on the quality of every single image I produce. Every image has to be just perfect or it’s not right at all."

To find out about the photography courses on offer at Kirklees College, search our website for the courses available.