Tribute have been paid to a ‘talented’ former regional press photographer who has died at the age of 53 following a short illness.

Bruce Litson, left, worked at the Dorset Echo for part of his career, which also included time at the now-defunct Dorset County Post and freelancing for national newspapers and magazines.

He started out working for a commercial photographer in London after studying photography and film production at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art, but returned to work in his home county of Dorset.

Bruce died in Dorset County Hospital last week after a short illness and tributes have been paid by some of his former colleagues at the Echo.

Former Echo editor Mike Woods said: “He had great artistic talent in doing atmospheric pictures with beautiful composition alongside everyday, run-of-the-mill newspaper event photographs.

“His talent was rewarded when Dorset County Museum staged an exhibition of his work which covered the whole spectrum. It was just so, so tragic when I heard he had died.”

Bruce was also a talented bass guitarist in a number of bands Dorset throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, including My God We’ve Created a Monster, Dream Home Collapses and French Girl Frightened By A Man, some of whose names were inspired by Echo headlines.

The paper’s deputy editor Diarmuid MacDonagh, who worked with Bruce for many years, said: “In newspapers we deal in words every day but sometimes it is nigh on impossible to find the right ones to articulate the essence of a person; especially a great friend.

“Bruce was simply the most talented photographer I have worked with but also, perhaps, one of the most complex of people.

“Going on the most mundane of assignments with Bruce had the potential to turn into the most unexpected of adventures. We were chased by criminals, cheered by OAPs when Bruce staged an impromptu concert at their Christmas party and shouted at by the news editor for arriving back in the office late (again). But we always made deadline and we never stopped laughing.

“He would often disappear from my side as I sought out a story. While other photographers would line up and take the same shot Bruce would reappear on top of a wall, the roof of a building or from the undergrowth.

“And he always got the picture nobody else had contemplated; the one that frankly, nobody else had the ‘eye’ to see.”

Bruce’s funeral will take place at 12.15pm today at Weymouth Crematorium.