A competition for landscape photography that keeps it real
It Natural Landscape Photography AwardsThe 2021 Winners have been announced, and each entry has to adhere to the following guidelines strict rules Photoshopping and editing are done so viewers “wouldn’t be deceived by what they see”
The contest’s founders want to encourage realism in landscape photography. They say: “Digital adjustments can be made with the understanding that subject integrity must not be compromised.”
Eric Bennett, a Utah landscape photographer, won Photographer of The Year in his first year. He also surpassed 13,368 entries representing 47 countries.
Bennett said of Bennett’s win that he enjoyed creating and capturing more intimate photographs of nature to convey its real beauty. This kind of image tends to be more appealing. They have a more subtle impact and are often overlooked in photography contests. Because I was concerned that my artwork might be judged on aspects I don’t value, I haven’t entered any photography competitions. But, I submitted my photos to the Natural Landscape Awards, because it was more focused on the composition of the images and not on post-processing techniques.
According to the contest, the results were a great showcase for not only photographers but also landscape’s true beauty in a way people can trust. MailOnline Travel selected the best images from the contest. Scroll to the bottom of the page to view a photograph taken by Bennett, Photographer-of-the Year.
The Zion National Park in Utah captured this beautiful scene during winter. Ben Horne took the photo, entitled ‘Unforeseen.’ He was runner up in the Photographer-of-the Year category. Horne, who documents landscapes across Western America, says of his work: ‘We’re surrounded by beauty in nature, but it’s only when we slow down, release our expectations, and truly observe our surroundings that we become more aware of the opportunity that surrounds us’
Hampshire-based photographer Carl Smorenburg is behind this breathtaking image, which was captured in the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park in South Africa and forms part of his ‘The Drakensberg’ series, the runner-up in the Project category. The photographer says that the photos were all taken in the last decade. They offer a glimpse at the beauty found within these mountains.
Another spectacular image from Smorenburg’s series. Sharing the story behind the project, he says: ‘These photos were taken during long, arduous hikes in the Drakensberg mountains, with elevation gains of more than 1,500m (4,921ft) in a single day not being uncommon. This area is isolated and far from any real life, so there’s not much mobile reception. The majority of photographs were taken at 3,000m (9.843ft) elevation above the sea level.
Smorenburg, a third panoramic shot showing the “majestic Drakensberg mountain” by Smorenburg. The third shot of the’majestic Drakensberg mountains’ by Smorenburg.
The fourth image in Smorenburg’s impressive body of work. He adds: ‘The Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is a Unesco World Heritage Site and I really hope my photos can showcase the raw beauty and splendour of the Drakensberg to those who have not yet seen it for themselves’
Paul Hoelen is a New Zealand-born photographer who captured this image while flying in a fixed-wing aircraft over the deserts of the southwest Australian. This shot won first prize in the Aerial category. Hoelen claims that Australia is the flattest continent in the world and, from the ground, it can extend into a nearly featureless plane. As you ascend into the air, all of Australia’s amazing structures and hidden secrets begin to emerge in greater depth and complexity. It is revealed the true enormity and interconnectedness of nature, as well as the echo of dreamtime tales of its creation. “The photographer says that the image is as it was taken.
The El Capitan rock formation, Yosemite (California), as seen through Michael Frye’s lens is shown above. This image is the best in Grand Landscape. Recalling the build-up to the shot, Frye explains: ‘I’ve lived in or near Yosemite for over 35 years, so I know the park intimately, and have photographed it in every season, in almost every conceivable weather. This place can become difficult to photograph after all these years. The view from El Capitan was something I’d visited at least a dozen times. It had always been my goal to get exceptional light. Then he says: “Usually, I was disappointed when I returned home.” But on this March afternoon, after a small snow squall moved through the valley, I was treated to some of the most beautiful light and mist I’ve ever seen on El Cap’
The overall winner of the Nightscape category is this powerful image. Taken by Switzerland-based photographer Paul Hammett, it shows the Matterhorn mountain in the Alps, which straddles the Italy–Switzerland border. Hammett said that the photo was captured in 30 minutes. “Setting up my tripod while thunder roared about me, I was excited to get an image as the storm moved above the Matterhorn. He continues, “Each lightning strike gave us the shivers.” This was the moment I knew that my camera had something extra.
In 2019, this poignant photo shows bushfires raging beneath the summit of Stacks Bluff, Tasmania. This is the best-seller in the Project category, it’s from Mark Palmer’s series ‘Ash. The photographer describes the project as “The destruction of fires and the recovery of life. However, this is a fragile line that allows for survival.”
Another, and more optimistic, Palmer image. The image depicts a single tree that is recovering from bush fires in South West Tasmania’s Scotts Peak.
LEFT: This vibrant picture was captured in the Alabama Hills, a range of hills and rock formations in California. Jai Shet took the picture, which won first place in Youth Category. RIGHT: A towering wall of rock in Yosemite National Park was the subject for this striking photograph, which is the runner-up in the Youth category. Lance Wilson (14 years old) was the photographer behind this lens
Franka Gabler, a California-based photographer captured the winning image in the Abstract and Intimate categories. This pastel-hued photo shows Eastern Sierra Nevada forest. Gabler says: ‘The scene made me feel melancholic – that’s why I titled the photograph “Autumn Blues”.’ She explains: ‘One of my favourite scenes to photograph is when aspen trees are almost bare – their fair bark glows, and the surrounding vegetation has a chance to show off its subtle hues. It was a crisp Autumn morning and I found myself drawn to the quiet scene as nature prepares for sleep. It was dawn and I was all alone waiting for the sun to shine brightly enough to photograph subtle textures and colours. The aspen trees had a very small amount of yellow leaves, which added a subtle touch of warmth to the otherwise cool Sierra willow brush.
If you look up, you’ll find the Photograph of the Years captured by Steve Alterman from North Carolina. Alterman describes the scene of the photograph as: “Fellsfjara” is the beach with black sand that lies opposite the glacial lagoon, in the southeast Iceland. Many of the icebergs that have escaped the lagoon’s lagoon were washed out to sea and landed on the shore, where they are likely to melt. He said, “One morning I encountered an iceberg that was small but flat near the ocean. Sometimes, small waves broke through it and vanished into the black sand. After observing this scene for some time, I realized that the morning sun sparkled on small pebbles along with the tip of an iceberg. This created an amazing graphic.
This is Eric Bennett’s Portfolio photograph, Drum Roll please… The photograph is called ‘Dark Brilliance’ and it was taken by Bennett in Wyoming during Bennett’s journeys of ‘over 140 mile in some of most remote mountains in the United States.