Cementing its position as one of the most spectacular photo contests on the annual circuit, the International Landscape Photographer of the Year again delivers a stunning assortment of images, from mythical shots of snow-covered forests to awe-inspiring descents into hellish fiery volcanos.
In its eighth year, the International Landscape Photographer of the Year competition presents a fantastic snapshot of the aesthetic diversity in landscape photography. The competition is simple. There are no specific categories, and competition chairman Peter Eastway says there is no strict definition of what a landscape photograph should be.
“Our philosophy is that all approaches to landscape photography are valid,” said Eastway. “It is not up to us to say whether an image is a landscape or not … the history of landscape art is much broader than merely creating a record of nature. It is interpretive, imaginative and inspirational. Some photographers take their captures and re-map the tonality; others take several captures to produce a landscape of the mind.”
The competition centers around two main prizes: Photographer of the year (for a portfolio of at least four images) and Photograph of the Year. Turkish photographer Aytek Cetin won the top portfolio prize with a collection of gorgeously evocative images.
The top single photograph of the year prize went to amateur US photographer Tamnay Sapkal. The shot, taken on Mt. Tamalpais, north of San Francisco, took a great deal of planning and multiple visits.
“It wasn’t possible to line up the comet exactly above the foreground I wanted, so I decided to take two separate exposures,” explained Sapkal. “It took a couple of visits to get just the right amount of fog on the hills to create the dreamy setting and then I waited patiently for some cars to drive by and create a blanket of light under the fog.”
The competition also awards a number of annual special prizes that can vary from year to year. One of this year’s special award highlights was Chris Byrne’s Amazing Aerial Award-winning shot offering a mind-bindingly abstract glimpse inside a volcano in Iceland.
Take a closer look through our gallery at some more handpicked highlights from this essential landscape photography competition.
