“Beautiful composition” of Sussex footpath tops 14th year of prestigious competition and lands £10,000 ($13,600) top prize
(Image credit: Mara Leite/LPotY)
‘Morning at Countryside’ by Mara Leite is the winner of Landscape Photographer of the Year 2021.
Described by the judges as “a beautiful shot“, Mara’s view of West Sussex was shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III with EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens.
“Mill Lane is a famous footpath in Halnaker, West Sussex,” says Mara. “I was looking for a different composition when I decided to turn the other way and saw this beautiful sight.
“I love the gate in the background, and how the morning light hits the leaves and softly enters the tunnel.”
Mara topped the field of tens of thousands of entries to bag her £10,000 ($13,600) top prize.
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Now in its 14th year, Landscape Photographer of the Year is one of the UK’s most prestigious photography competitions, and aims to celebrate the richly diverse landscape of the UK.
Founded by the leading British landscape photographer Charlie Waite, the competition provides an “ongoing platform for capturing images that best symbolize our land and our times, and that will stand as a record of our country.“
(Image credit: LPotY)
All other winning and commended images from this year's competition will be published in the Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 14 book, available now in the UK and which will be published in the US on 15 February 2022.
An exhibition of shortlisted and winning entries will also take place at London Bridge railway station from 15 November-9 January; a tour of the UK will follow, with dates and locations to be confirmed shortly.
In the meantime, you can see a beautiful selection of some of the best images from the competition below…
Winner, Black and White: ‘Daybreak Beside the River Brathay’, by Miles Middlebrook.
“Mist rises from the River Brathay near Skelwith Bridge in the Lake District, half an hour after daybreak.”
Shot with: Canon EOS 5DS with Tamron 85mm f/1.8 VC lens (Image credit: Miles Middlebrook/LPotY)
Winner, Classic View (Youth): ‘The Beast Within the Beauty’, by Henri Abbott.
“A drone shot of the local batch at Paulton, Somerset, with some fog coming from the left-hand side.”
Shot with: DJI Mini 2 (Image credit: Henri Abbott/LPotY)
Winner, Landscapes at Night: ‘Once in a Lifetime’ by Ian Asprey.
“Cloud coverage was forecast at 30%, so I took a chance. I wanted to get an iconic landmark with this extra-terrestrial treat, so a lot of planning and app-using brought me to Anglesey. I got the sky I was praying for, and I shot lots of images. I chose this one, as I liked the way the cloud mimicked the land, adding some sort of symmetry. It was a ‘shoot at all costs’ situation, as I knew my eyes would never witness this space odyssey again, marrying our world with the unknown.”
Shot with: Nikon Z 6 with 24-70mm lens (Image credit: Ian Asprey/LPotY)
Highly Commended, Your View: ‘Malham Zig Zag’, by James Whitesmith.
“Traditional dry stone walls zig-zag across the fields beneath Malham Lings in the Yorkshire Dales, as the rising sun begins to light the scene. I arrived on location well before sunrise; the entire valley was filled with thick fog, but as the minutes ticked by it began to shift and retreat. Fortunately the swirling mist revealed the copse at the decisive moment, with the first direct light washing over the landscape.”
Shot with: Sony Alpha 7R II with Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 lens (Image credit: James Whitesmith/LPotY)
Winner, Urban Life: ‘Walk Diagonal’, by Karen Brickley.
“Blue skies and sunshine perfectly showed off the art installation ‘Dance Diagonal’ by Lother Gotz on the Towner Gallery, Eastbourne. I stood in position and waited for a passer-by to complete the shot.”
Shot with: Canon EOS R with Canon RF 24-105mm lens (Image credit: Karen Brickley/LPotY)
Winner, Lines In The Landscape: ‘Glenfinnan Viaduct’, by Malcolm Blenkey.
“I had five days based in Fort William. Having done a bit of research, I was aware that the last day of the famous Jacobite steam train schedule would be on my second day. I arrived in good time to choose my position to capture the shot; as the train traversed the viaduct, the sun came and went, lighting up the snow on the background mountains. I decided on this viewpoint as I thought that if the sun broke through the cloud as the train arrived, it would be the best way to contrast the natural beauty of the location with the mighty man-made structure.”
Shot with: Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens (Image credit: Malcolm Blenkey/LPotY)
Winner, Historic Britain: ‘Out of the Darkness’, by Mark Amphlett.
“It was a very overcast morning on Loch Awe. The forecast was for mist, and I was hoping for a light covering around the lake; instead the whole area was covered in thick, low-lying cloud. My initial images from that morning were very flat. I waited for around an hour and chatted to a fellow photographer. In the end my patience was rewarded, as a tiny break in the cloud illuminated the castle and brought the whole scene to life. As often happens with beautiful light, it only lasted around two minutes.”
Shot with: Canon EOS 6D with 24-70mm f/2.8L lens (Image credit: Mark Amphlett/LPotY)
Winner, Classic View: ‘Chesterton Windmill’, by Philip George.
“I was returning from Birmingham to Southampton, and decided to take a detour to Chesterton Windmill as the skies looked good. I have been there quite a few times before in the hope of getting a good sky. This shot was taken quite late in the afternoon.”
Shot with: Fujifilm X-T30 with Fujinon 10-24mm f/4 lens (Image credit: Philip George/LPotY)
Winner, Your View: ‘Runner at Dawn’, by Robin Dodd.
“A runner in the dawn mist along the towpath near Henley-on-Thames. My nightly routine is to check my apps for morning mist or fog down by the river. I will take the camera down there before dawn if the conditions look right. I set up opposite the towpath, then start shooting as the mist and sun play out their show. I then blend the best of the movement with the landscape to give the viewer the same emotional vision I had while watching that stunning light show myself – a time-lapse all in one image. Rowers, runner, cyclists, dog walkers – there are endless combinations to play with when it’s time to go home for breakfast.”
Shot with: Canon EOS R with Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 lens (Image credit: Robin Dodd/LPotY)
Niall is the editor of Digital Camera Magazine, and has been shooting on interchangeable lens cameras for over 20 years, and on various point-and-shoot models for years before that.
Working alongside professional photographers for many years as a jobbing journalist gave Niall the curiosity to also start working on the other side of the lens. These days his favored shooting subjects include wildlife, travel and street photography, and he also enjoys dabbling with studio still life.
On the site you will see him writing photographer profiles, asking questions for Q&As and interviews, reporting on the latest and most noteworthy photography competitions, and sharing his knowledge on website building.
