A BUDDING young photographer has spoken his “incredible”

experience while visiting an African country after he won a competition for taking the most outstanding image of the trip.

Ethan Martin, 17, a student at Southend High School for Boys, was on a trip to Tanzania with the World Challenge organisation when he took the photo of a young girl who had approached him as he turned to leave.

He entered the picture into the World Challenge photo competition where he had to get as many Facebook likes as possible. He managed to get 1,282 likes after contacting friends and family to get their support.

Ethan, who lives in Bishopsteignton, Shoebury, said he was visiting a Livingstone Tanzania Trust school in the country.

While he was there, he described how the local family of four or five people were taking an interest in the students and the young girl was particularly interested in what was happening.

He said the perfect moment for the photo came as he went to leave and she looked up at him, wondering where he was going.

He said: “This little girl seemed so interested as to what we were doing there. As I walked away, she just stopped and I turned to her and she was looking up at me and it was just mixed emotions.

“It just makes you feel that there is such a different world out there that you don’t know about at all.”

There were more than 400 entries and 8,000 Facebook likes, but Ethan’s photo was the runaway winner.

During his trip he was among a group of 30 students taking part in the expedition where they planted 20 trees, among other activities.

He said: “I would say honestly that all of us out there shared so many memories that you could not explain to anyone how incredible it was.”

The school’s headteacher Robin Bevan said: “Travel, adventure and volunteer charity work are all part of the lifelong education we offer at Southend High School for Boys.

“The trip to Tanzania challenged our students and presented them with a new outlook on life.

“Ethan’s photograph is a perfect illustration of that.”