Standard photographer wins award

Evening Standard photographer Cavan Pawson was named Photographer of the Year at the British Press Awards for his image of the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsing.

Mr Pawson, 35, who has been working for the Standard for seven years, was on his way to a New York fashion show on 11 September when he heard a rumour that a light aircraft had hit one of the towers.

Receiving his award last night, he said: "My first reaction was to call the picture desk at the Standard. They immediately told me to get straight there, so I turned around and headed back towards the twin towers. As soon as I got there I saw that both of the towers were on fire and that this was far more serious than just a light aircraft hitting them. I managed to get to within about eight blocks and started taking photographs of the fire.

"I had to stop for a couple of minutes to wire them through to the Standard because it was getting late and even though it was early morning in New York the Standard's deadline was approaching. As soon as I finished sending the pictures I went back outside. It was just as the south tower was collapsing. I picked up my camera, fired off some frames and wired them back to the picture desk.

"I was so tied up in meeting the deadlines and getting the stuff through as quickly as possible that the significance of what was happening didn't really hit me until after the event. At the time I was just trapped in three hours of complete chaos. When I had a chance to reflect on what I'd seen, I realised that I had just witnessed history in the making and it is definitely the best news picture I have ever taken."

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