IT WAS a case of the 'early bird catches the worm' for a passionate local photographer who captured this a majestic shot of a paddleboarder and cruise ship Azura in Weymouth Bay

Trish McFarlane said she snapped a paddleboarder enjoying calm waters in front of the P&O vessel around sunrise on Monday.

"I go out at five o'clock every morning with my camera and was in the right place at the right time," said Preston resident Trish. "I was really pleased when I saw it".

Although she sells greetings cards with her photographs in local shops, Trish modestly rejected the suggestion that she is a professional snapper, instead describing herself as "a very passionate amateur."

"I've been doing this for around eleven years - when my mum died I needed to channel myself into something and ever since then I've taken loads of photos," she explained.

"My daughter put some of my photos onto a card as a present, which gave me the idea of making cards myself, and I now sell them in a few shops: Chalbury Food and Wine, the Lookout Café and Craig's Dairies."

Describing the serendipitous shot, Trish added: "I was walking along on the beach between Overcombe and Greenhill when I saw the paddleboarder and he's since been in touch to ask for a copy of it, after I shared it on social media.

"Over the last few days the sea has been like glass - it's been so calm and lovely.

"The presence of the cruise ships has been nice for Weymouth - seeing them helps take your mind off everything that's going on at the moment."

To see more of Trish's photographs search for 'galleryontheBEACH' on Facebook.