East London students snapped up prizes in a photography competition - and these shots prove they’ve really got an eye for a picture.

One teenager, Dominic Blondel from George Green’s School in Stepney, really put his talent in the frame by taking first and third place.

The 17-year-old took the winning photo - a stunning black and white cityscape of the Thames snaking around his home in the East End - in a family friend’s helicopter.

He also grabbed third runner up for capturing a shot of speeding mountain bikes mid-race.

Dominic said: “I only became seriously interested in photography last September, but now it’s a big hobby of mine.

“For the winning picture, the helicopter moved round slowly and I sensed I had got the frame just right.”

Dominic won an SLR camera and £50 worth of iTunes vouchers for his winning snaps.

Media group News International, publishers of The Times and The Sun, ran the competition in partnership with the East London Business Alliance (ELBA) aimed at discovering photographic talent among 11 to 18-year-olds in secondary schools in Newham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney.

Five schools took part; George Green’s School and Langdon Park School in Tower Hamlets; Rokeby School in Newham; and Skinner’s Academy and Haggerston School in Hackney.

Salma Begum, from Langdon Park School on the Isle of Dogs, won second place with her picture highlighting the stark contrast between nature and the city while two of her peers, Afsara Tasnim and Christopher Taylor, were highly commended, winning iTunes vouchers worth £25.

Students from Rokeby School in Canning Town represented Newham and Simon Senyange’s shot of a tree in shadow was shortlisted by the judges.

The competition received over 100 entries that were judged by Sunday Times picture editor Ray Wells, The Sun picture editor John Edwards, and The Times picture editor Scott Montgomery.

Pupils attended a ceremony at News International’s headquarters in Wapping where they received their prizes and a framed copy of their photographs from Gusto Harri, director of communications at News International, and ELBA CEO Liam Kane.

Mr Harri said: “The quality of entries right on our doorstep was fantastic and I know the formidable panel of judges were highly impressed by their overall quality and particularly the creativity and ingenuity of the winners and runners up.”