Ice, sand and forests: the 2018 International Landscape Photographer of the Year

Quiet Light, one of four images submitted by winning photographer Adam Gibbs (Image credit: Adam Gibbs)

Professional and amateur photographers from around the world were invited to enter the fifth International Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.

Adam Gibbs from Canada is this year's winner, whose folio submission (of at least 4 images) was selected from nearly 3000 entries from 863 photographers.

What makes a great landscape photographer? Persistence? Experience? Luck? Passion? Adam's portfolio shows a diversity of views, an understanding of light and the expert use of framing and composition. 

With sandy aerials to icy mountain locations, the judges liked that Adam’s portfolio demonstrated a range of topics.

Adam's portfolio displayed his consistency and experience

Adam's portfolio displayed his consistency and experience (Image credit: Adam Gibbs)

What the winner Adam Gibbs had to say

Adam Gibbs is the 2018 International Landscape Photographer of the Year

Adam Gibbs is the 2018 International Landscape Photographer of the Year

Adam Gibbs lives part-time between New Westminster, British Columbia and Parksville, Vancouver Island, Canada. He was originally inspired by a nature photography book written by John Shaw in the 1980s. 

“I’ve been a professional photographer since 1992 and up until 2014, my primary source of income was photographing gardens for gardening publications. Since then I have been a full-time nature photographer.

“Since I'm still a bit old school from the film days, I tend to try and capture the majority of my images in a single frame. I don't have strong views on image manipulation, other than I find more joy in capturing great light and composition on site, rather than creating something that didn't exist when I took the photo.

My love of nature and the outdoors is much stronger than my desire to make images, so for me, pictures taken at the moment have far more integrity and personal meaning than those made later in a computer.

Adam Gibbs, International Landscape POTY

"I generally try to keep the image accurate to form and not use too much post-processing, although when the light is not great, I'll use a few more tricks to bring the best out of an image. I use Lightroom Classic CC and Photoshop CC 2019 for all of my work.”

Adam is currently using a Nikon D850 along with 14-24mm, 16-35mm, 24-120mm and 70- 200mm lenses. 

“And I l love the Breakthrough Photography filters, especially the Dark X4 CPL filters that combine a 3 or 6 stop ND filter with a polariser into one filter.

Shortlisted winners from this year's competition

The awards have two main prizes: the Photograph of the Year is for the best single landscape photograph, while the International Landscape Photographer of the Year requires a set of four images. 

The International Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards 2018 also presents 101 exceptional landscape photographs, which have been selected by an experienced judging panel.

For all the details and winners, and the top 101 images,  visit the website and download the eBook at www.internationallandscapephotographer.com 

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Lauren Scott
Managing Editor

Lauren is the Managing Editor of Digital Camera World, having previously served as Editor of Digital Photographer magazine, a practical-focused publication that inspires hobbyists and seasoned pros alike to take truly phenomenal shots and get the best results from their kit. 


An experienced photography journalist who has been covering the industry for over eight years, she has also served as technique editor for both PhotoPlus: The Canon MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine and DCW's sister publication, Digital Camera Magazine


In addition to techniques and tutorials that enable you to achieve great results from your cameras, lenses, tripods and other photography equipment, Lauren can regularly be found interviewing some of the biggest names in the industry, sharing tips and guides on subjects like landscape and wildlife photography, and raising awareness for subjects such as mental health and women in photography.