Brave the elements with the incredible Outdoor Photographer of the Year winners

March 04, 2019

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Live the Adventure – Winner, Greg Lecoeur (France). Rangiroa, French Polynesia

OPOTY-Greg Lecoeur

Overall Winner and Light on the Land – Winner, Robert Birkby (UK). Near Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England. Much of the higher ground in the South Pennines is relatively featureless, but these sheep had found shelter between a snowdrift and dry stone wall.

OPOTY-Robert Birkby

Live the Adventure – Joint Runner-up, Alex Palmer (UK). El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California, USA. Two climbers approach El Cap Tower on the The Nose route on El Capitan

OPOTY-Alex Palmer

Live the Adventure – Joint Runner-up, Alison Perkins (Australia). Sistema Sac Actun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. This image shows cave diver Cameron Russo travelling through the Sistema Sac Actun cave system on the Yucatán Peninsula

OPOTY-Alison Perkins

Live the Adventure – Winner, Greg Lecoeur (France). Rangiroa, French Polynesia

OPOTY-Greg Lecoeur

View from Above – Commended, Ross Farnham (UK). Farnborough, Kent, England

OPOTY-Ross Farnham

View from Above – Runner-up, Roie Galitz (Israel). Lake Kuril, Kamchatka, Russia. Lake Kuril in southern Kamchatka attracts millions of sockeye salmon on their last journey in life to spawn, and the brown bears come to the lake for that reason – an all you can eat salmon buffet so they can gain enough fat for winter hibernation

OPOTY-Roie Galitz

View from Above – Winner, Tom Putt (Australia). Namib Desert, Namibia. Flying low over the endless sand dunes of the Namib Desert. When the sun heats up the dunes, it draws the black minerals to the surface

OPOTY-Tom Putt

Under Exposed – Commended, Judith Conning (Australia). Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga. This image was captured on a trip to swim and snorkel with the magnificent humpback whales and their calves in the warm tropical waters of Tonga, their winter breeding ground

OPOTY-Judith Conning

Under Exposed – Runner-up, Pier Mane (Italy and South Africa). Protea Banks, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Protea Banks is an underwater reef on the east coast of South Africa that is under consideration for protected area status. Amazing creatures such as this cephea (or crown) jellyfish live there

OPOTY-Pier Mane

Under Exposed – Winner, Greg Lecoeur (France). Shetland Islands, Scotland. Presumed to have been introduced to the Shetland Isles during Viking times, or maybe earlier, the otter has adapted to marine life and proliferated. More used to living in the rivers and lakes of Scotland, they are now found along the coastline and dive into the sea to feed on marine animals, especially crustaceans – some of the more experienced otters attack octopuses

OPOTY-Greg Lecoeur

At the Water’s Edge – Commended, Chris Fletcher (UK). Grand Union Canal, Olton, Solihull, England. This shot was taken handheld using the diffused sunrise light to soften the subject and surrounding woodland

OPOTY-Chris Fletcher

At the Water’s Edge – Commended, Ian Snowdon (UK). Saltburn by the Sea, North Yorkshire, England. This row of houses is known as the coastguard cottages and is situated on the top of Huntcliff at Saltburn by the Sea

OPOTY-Ian Snowdon

At the Water’s Edge – Commended, Mark Cornick (UK). Reynisfjara, Vík í Mýrdal, Iceland

OPOTY-Mark Cornick

At the Water’s Edge – Commended, Matthew James Turner (UK). Kallur, Kalsoy, Norðoyar, Faroe Islands

OPOTY-Matthew James Turner

At the Water’s Edge – Runner-up, Alex Wrigley (UK). Wastwater, Lake District, England

OPOTY-Alex Wrigley

At the Water’s Edge – Winner, Roberto Marchegiani (Italy). Lake Martin, Louisiana, USA. The wetlands of Louisiana are a gigantic tangle of canals, swamps and forests that stretch around the great Mississippi estuary. In autumn the great cypresses are covered with Spanish moss

OPOTY-Roberto Marchegiani

Light on the Land – Commended, Marcio Esteves Cabral (Brazil). ESO Paranal astronomical observatory, Chile. This image shows ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) at work; these are the largest and most modern telescopes in the world. This is a panoramic image consisting of three vertical images. It shows the telescope’s laser guides, which are the most powerful in the world and can reach more than 50 miles

OPOTY-Marcio Esteves Cabral

Light on the Land – Commended, Sven Tegelmo (Sweden). Lunsen nature reserve, Uppsala, Sweden. The summer of 2018 was very dry and this caused a lot of forest fires in Sweden

OPOTY-Sven Tegelmo

Light on the Land – Runner-up, Daniel Laan (Netherlands). Storvatnet, Flakstadøya, Lofoten, Norway. Stjerntinden is a sheer-walled 930m peak rising from the often frozen and snow-covered Storvatnet lake. Along its shoreline the ice is punctured by unyielding rocks, which create tiny ice caves

OPOTY-Daniel Laan

Small World – Commended, Daniel Trim (UK). Sandy Heath, Sandy, Bedfordshire, England. A European beewolf (Philanthus triangulum) carrying a European honeybee. Beewolfs nest in sandy soil, burying a paralysed honeybee with a single egg

OPOTY-Daniel Trim

Small World – Commended, Pete Hyde (UK). Loch Ard Forest, The Trossachs, Scotland

OPOTY-Pete Hyde

Small World – Runner up, Jay Birmingham (UK). Wyming Brook, Peak District, England. A small mossy island with a solitary bonnet mushroom growing on it

OPOTY-Jay Birmingham

Small World – Winner, Stefan Gerrits (Finland and Netherlands). Parainen, Finland. In Finland, the mountain apollo (Parnassius apollo) was one of the first species of insects to be protected by law, as the population decreased because of a disease, acid rain and climate change. The apollos were hardest hit in the south-west, where there had been heat waves and little precipitation

OPOTY-Stefan Gerrits

Spirit of Travel – Commended, Jeremy Flint (UK). Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea. Few lands are as exotic and mysterious as Papua New Guinea, a region of dense, rugged valleys and magnificent tribes. Deep in the jungle highlands of Jiwaka province, two women touched noses to honour their friendship

OPOTY-Jeremy Flint

Spirit of Travel – Runner-up, Peter Racz (Hungary). Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia. There are many ice caves on the shore of Lake Baikal and this picture was taken from inside one of them

OPOTY-Peter Racz

Spirit of Travel – Winner, Matt Parry (UK). Varanasi, India. 64-year old SiyaRam hangs from the beams above the wrestling pit in Varanasi, India, in the middle of doing stomach crunches as part of an intense warm up routine that belied his age. Kushti wrestling akhara is steeped in history, culture and tradition but is gradually dying out due to government pressure for participants to move on to a modern mat-based wrestling format in order to compete at international level. SiyaRam has been training in this akhara for 13 years, and what started as a hobby is now a major part of his daily life

OPOTY-Matt Parry

Wildlife Insight – Commended, Christoph Ruisz (Austria). Lake Neusiedl region, Austria. A European hare (Lepus europaeus) on a cloudy morning in March

OPOTY-Christoph Ruiz

Wildlife Insight – Commended, James Lewin (UK). Tsavo East National Park, Kenya. The locusts combined with the fighting zebras tells us a story about how tough the drought is for these animals

OPOTY-James Lewin

Wildlife Insight – Commended, Olav Thokle (Norway). Isfjorden, Svalbard, Norway

OPOTY-Olav Thokle

Wildlife Insight – Commended, Roie Galitz (Israel). Pyramiden, Svalbard, Norway. The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is one of the ultimate survivors in the high Arctic, thanks to its super-insulating fur and food storing and collecting strategies. This specific fox’s territory is in and around the abandoned Russian town of Pyramiden

OPOTY-Roie Galitz

Wildlife Insight – Runner-up, Jose Fragozo (Portugal). Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Imani is a well-known female cheetah in the Masai Mara. She is recognisable by the ‘bracelet’ of spots around the left front leg. This image shows Imani and her cub during a rainstorm, crossing an area with a high density of lions and hyenas

OPOTY-Jose Fragozo

Wildlife Insight – Winner, Salvador Colvée Nebot (Spain). Valencia, Spain. A pair of common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) using dead agave flower plants as a perch from which to access the waterhole

OPOTY-Salvador Colvée Nebot

Young Outdoor Photographer of the Year – Commended, Josiah Launstein (Canada). Porcupine Hills near Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada

OPOTY-Josiah Launstein

Young Outdoor Photographer of the Year – Runner-up, Anya Burnell (UK). Berry Head, Brixham, Devon, England. A common blue butterfly perching on some dry wheatgrass ready to roost as the sun was setting

OPOTY-Anya Burnell

Young Outdoor Photographer of the Year – Winner, Riccardo Marchegiani (Italy). Simien National Park, Ethiopia. The gelada monkeys are an endemic species to Ethiopia, living mainly in the Simien Mountains in groups that at night find shelter in caves located on steep slopes – some are more than 800m up

OPOTY-Riccardo Marchegiani

View gallery - 35 images

The overall winner of this year's Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition braved a brutal snowstorm to capture an incredible shot of sheep sheltering from the elements. Selected from more than 20,000 entries, the image illustrates the extreme challenges outdoor photographers face.

The competition spans 10 categories, from landscapes and wildlife, to adventure sports and macro, but if there is one overarching theme to be found it seems to be a focus on the extraordinary lengths photographers go to capture impressive moments from nature. Alongside individual category winners receiving £500 (US$660), the overall winner also collects £2,000 (US$2,600).

"The judges were blown away by the quality of work that we looked at this year, and it shows that the world of outdoor photography is thriving like never before, thanks to the hard work, fresh thinking and deep passion brought by the photographers," explains Steve Watkins, head judge and editor of Outdoor Photography magazine.

OPOTY-Robert Birkby

UK photographer Robert Birkby took the top prize in this year's competition with a frosty shot snapped during a massive snowstorm in West Yorkshire England. Birkby's shot perfectly encapsulates the challenges of extreme outdoor photography, using a fast shutter to capture falling snowflakes and conveying a truly chilly sense of being in the middle of a gusty storm.

"Robert's image captures just about every aspect of what is required to be a top-level outdoor photographer; from the willingness to go the extra mile to be out there shooting in extreme conditions to the calmness and clear thinking then necessary to pull together a technically brilliant and creatively compelling composition," says Watkins. "All of the judges had an immediate and strong emotional response to his image, which manages to combine the chilling feeling of being there in the blizzard with the slightest hint of humor at the hopeless predicament of the hardy sheep."

Live the Adventure – Joint Runner-up, Alex Palmer (UK). El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California, USA. Two climbers approach El Cap Tower on the The Nose route on El Capitan

OPOTY-Alex Palmer

For a smaller photography competition, the Outdoor Photographer of the Year has collected a truly astonishing group of winners, rivaling any competition on the annual calendar. Other winning highlights include a mind-bending shot of two tiny climbers climbing El Capitan in Yosemite, a surreal snap of a cave diver navigating an alien-like underwater landscape, and a stunning drone-captured image of a bear surrounded by salmon in a Russian lake.

OPOTY-Alison Perkins

Take a look through our gallery featuring all the winners and commended images from this year's strong competition.

Source: Outdoor Photographer of the Year

View gallery - 35 images

2 comments

guzmanchinky March 4, 2019 01:37 PM

These are incredible. As an amateur photog I love these galleries to learn some of the techniques I can use to improve my own pictures.

ljaques March 11, 2019 04:35 PM

The Rangiroa wave, the Wyming shroom, and Olav's seabird were the most extraordinary of the 35 photos. How many blasé pics got into the finals surprises me. And I have a much nicer painting by a Chinese artist of a foggy swampy/forest area. How did that ho-hum pic get in, let alone take honors? (Hmm, are architects moonlighting here, too?)

Brave the elements with the incredible Outdoor Photographer of the Year winners

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