Leon says being a photographer “is pretty damn good,” and who could argue with a man paid to capture holidays in Barbados and fashion shows in Italy. “If you’re happy with never knowing what you’ll be doing next, it’s the best job in the world.”

Lucky Leon - the only consolation for the rest of us is that The Times made him work seriously hard to start with. “They really put me to the test,” he said. “The business editor sent me back again and again on one of my first jobs getting a simple shot of Krispy Kremes in Harrods.”

His first set of images featured the wrong kind of doughnut, so he was told to return and convince the bemused staff to pose all over again. Next time the pictures he submitted had the wrong kind of nail varnish on the hand holding the doughnut. He was allowed to go back to the office only after attempt number three and with the laughter of the shop staff still ringing in his ears.

The lessons during the six-month contract served him well. “You think you know quite a bit, but you’ve got so much to learn,” he said. “If you’re the sort of person who takes criticism badly you won’t do well.”

Leon has now secured a staff position at Agence France-Presse, working with the London bureau on Fleet Street. His first official job for the agency saw him flying with Tony Blair on his final diplomatic tour for meetings with Colonel Gaddafi in the deserts of Libya, witnessing tribal ceremonies in Sierra Leone and visiting Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

"The work sees me dealing with a much larger audience than my previous experiences and has taught me how to think on a global basis rather than just nationally," he said. "Covering sport, fashion, news, politics and whatever else is thrown at me, the job continues to challenge and allow me to develop."

Leon says that his favourite picture taken for The Times is either "catwalk star" or "dead horse" (both pictured above).

"Catwalk Star was shot at London Fashion week and allowed me to play around with fashion photography in a way that challenged me to create a unique picture in a very competitive and busy environment," he said.

"Dead Horse was an exclusive picture from a pro-hunting protest at the Labour Party conference in Brighton. The image still causes extreme responses to this day through my website and I have a regular flow of mails either wishing to talk about how powerful the image is or to actually berate me for killing the horse!"