Like many photographers, I enjoy entering my photos in competitions. In 2024 I submitted some of my work into the British Photography Awards.
This is a prestigious contest for both amateur and professional photographers and the quality of work submitted is very high. Every year, many thousands of images are submitted so there is strong competition to even get through the first judging phase.
I was therefore very happy to find out that my work was shortlisted in not one, but three categories! That means I made it through to the final 20 in each of the three categories.
There are two awards in each category. One is awarded by the judges, however the other is a People’s Choice Award voted for by the public.
I attended the prize-giving ceremony at the Royal Lancaster hotel in London and am proud to announce that I won the Drone Category.
1. Landscape Category
I took this photo in August 2024 during a trip to Greenland. The photo was taken at the ice fjord in Ilulissat, where the glacier meets the sea. It’s hard to get a sense of scale of the glacier from a photo, however the flock of birds in the foreground give some idea of how vast it is.
As the ice melts, large chunks occasionally break off with a loud crack. These birds had been sitting on a nearby shelf of ice when they were startled by one such crack. As they all flocked into the air in a panic, I managed to get this photo before they settled down again.
Go to the voting page for this image by clicking this link.
2. Drone Category
This is another photo from the same trip to Greenland. I’d already seen whales while out on a whale watching trip earlier in the week, however hadn’t managed to get any images of them with my drone. I returned to the ice fjord for my last evening in the hope of another nice sunset, however my plans soon changed as I spotted a pair of whales in the bay.
I quickly launched my drone and managed to get this photo before they dived into the depths of the fjord.
Go to the voting page for this image by clicking this link.
If you like these two photos, you might also enjoy a video I put together of my trip to Greenland.
3. Street Category
While street photography isn’t a type I do that often, it is something I enjoy. It’s always a challenge to take photos of what’s around you, without knowing what you’re going to get.
This photo was taken in London, while wandering around the office buildings near Liverpool Street. I liked the illuminated wall but wanted something extra to complete the image. After a while, part of the wall glowed red. It turns out that there’s a door in the wall that glows red when opened. Now it was just a case of waiting for someone to stand in front of the wall at the same time the door was opened.
After some waiting, everything aligned and I took the photo. Moments later the door closed, the wall was white again and the two people moved away.
Go to the voting page for this image by clicking this link.
