A DEDICATED photographer walked over three miles of hot desert to capture this stunning shot of incredible rock formations.

And Nick Hodgson's efforts paid off when his surreal image was voted the public's choice in Ilkley Camera Club's exhibition.

The picture of the The Wave in South-Western USA captured the imagination of visitors to the exhibition - with many wondering whether the shot was a fake.

Members of the public were invited to have their say on exhibits in the display which has just finished at the Cliffe Castle Museum in Keighley. Top place went to Entering the Wave by Nick, from Addingham

"People often ask whether this is a fake - but it's not," he said.

Nick walked walked across baking desert to reach the stunning scene of sandstone shaped by weather over millions of years.

"I took this with a wide angle lens to try to show the scale and beauty of this amazing place," he said.

The Wave is located in Arizona, near its border with Utah and can only be reached by a difficult hike across desert. To prevent damage to the formation visitors have to apply for a permission to go there - with just ten permits issued daily.

Second favourite image in the exhibition was a shot of a chiffchaff by Keith Allen, whilst Portrait of a Steampunker earned third place for Neil Bland. Peter Wilson bagged both fourth and fifth places with a moody lake-side scene entitled 'Solitary' and a shot of powder being flicked off a brush. Jessops of Leeds provided prizes of canvas prints for first, third and fourth places. The second and fifth places won vouchers donated by PermaJet. A visitor to the exhibition, Stephanie Chapman from East Yorkshire, won a £20 voucher to spend at Annings Camera Shop in Ilkley when her voting slip was the first drawn.

On the last Saturday of the exhibition Larry James gave an illustrated talk about composing photographs.