PICTURE ONE: “ANYONE would be forgiven for thinking the Scottish people must be nearing election fatigue, but the vibrant political landscape still dominates as the shifting sands of Brexit and Independence are all around us.

“Sometimes the events which unfold during the counting process can almost eclipse the result itself and this picture is one such happening.

“Due to a loss of power during the count in Greenock Town Hall in 1999, officials had to resort to using torches as they thumbed through thousands of votes.”

PICTURE TWO: “I CAUGHT this interesting shot of an exchange between Labour candidate Tommy Graham and Lib Dem Bruce MacPherson as Labour’s Hugh McMahon looks on from the background.

"The picture was taken in Paisley Town Hall during the count for the 1997 general election. Later in the evening, Tommy went on to be elected as MP for Renfrewshire West.”

PICTURE THREE: “IN this shot, a tense Ciano Rebecchi and Sandy Nimmo survey the ballot papers as they are counted.

"The action in the counting hall usually renders interesting picture opportunities as candidates ride a rollercoaster of emotion.”

PICTURE 4: “WINDING back the clock to May 2010, when the late David Cairns celebrated victory with Labour.

"David was highly respected by the people of Inverclyde and his political adversaries – and is still greatly missed by all those who knew or worked with him.” 

PICTURE 5: “I WOULD like to think that this shot of the SNP camp, taken after victory at the polls, shows something of the gamut of human emotion which is experienced at such times.

“Relief, ecstatic celebration and reserved applause tell something of the tensions of the evening’s counting and significance of victory.”