Tender images to combat selfie stress take top prizes in photo contest

Touching images of people and some well-observed portraits of animals are among the winning entries in a competition that invited entrants to take more meaningful and relaxing photographs.

A collaboration between photobook specialist Cewe Photoworld and the mental health charity Mind, My Inspiring Moments was one of the largest photography competitions in the UK.

My Inspiring Moments was set up to bring the purpose and joy back into photography, by asking entrants to share their most treasured memories and inspiring moments captured on camera.

It was launched after research found that 1 in 5 people in the UK take the majority of their photos to portray a certain image on social media, with one quarter of people stating that aiming to get a good photo to share on social media had made them stressed and anxious in the past.

Gallery of winning images

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Photograph of a child peeking through a Christmas tree by Samantha Wenham — Child peeking through a Christmas tree, by Samantha Wenham

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Photograph of Arctic terns in flight by Stephen Root, a winner in Cewe's My Inspiring Moments photo competition — Arctic terns in flight, captured by Stephen Root

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Photograph of a porter carrying produce in Kolkata’s fruit and vegetable market, by Louise Waldron — Porter carrying produce in Kolkata’s fruit and vegetable market, by Louise Waldron

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Leanne Vennard’s winning shot of her friend and son touching hands across a table, overall winner in the My Inspiring Mind photo competition — Leanne Vennard’s winning shot of her friend and son touching hands across a table

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Photograph of horses in Iceland, by Theresa Wakeley — Guy Krier (Luxembourg)

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Ballerina photographed from above by Russ Tierney from Rhyl — Ballerina photographed from above, by Russ Tierney

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Photograph of a summer walk on a beach, by Hazel Sitaras

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Photograph of late evening light at Marsco in the Cuillin Ridge, by Pete Stevens — Late evening light hits Marsco in the Cuillin Ridge, by Pete Stevens

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Photograph of a hillside reflected in a river, by Margaret Travers — Hillside reflected in a river, by Margaret Travers

Enjoy some of the winners of the My Inspiring Moments photo competition

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Photograph of boy at Cub Scout ceremony, by Karlene Laycock — Karlene Laycock's photograph of her son at a Cub Scout ceremony

“Our research found that while people are taking more photos than at any other time in history, the pressure to post our lives on social media has taken away the joy of photography for photography’s sake,” said Cewe Photoworld’s digital marketing director, Clare Moreton.

“The Cewe My Inspiring Moments competition aimed to bring the joy back into photography as an art form, asking people to share the photos that make them feel inspired and optimistic about the world we live in.

“It was a delight to see all the amazing entries we received from people across the country and it was difficult selecting just 12 photos to win out of hundreds of entries.

“Our charity calendar featuring our winners’ photos will raise much-deserved funds for Mind, which does great work in ensuring no one has to face mental health problems alone.”

Overall winner Leanne Vennard said: “I went out with a photography friend and my son for the first time and my shy quiet boy took to him straight away.

“My friend took to him too and I was able to get this beautiful shot of them. It’s one of my all-time favourites.”

Cewe’s Inspiring Moments calendar is on sale here, priced £11.99.

£30,000 in prizes
Enter Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2019