Dramatic mountain photo wins top award
A DRAMATIC shot of a group of soldiers scaling the highest peak in southern Britain has won a photographer a coveted prize.
Civil Service photographer Ian Griffiths, 46, has taken the top spot in the Professional Soldiering category of the Army Photographic Competition with his image at Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons.
The dad of four, who has been a snapper at the Infantry Battle School in Brecon since 1995, said: “I’m delighted to win the Pro Soldiering category as it really captures what the Infantry Battle School is all about. The news has been well received here at all levels. I keep seeing friends, family and colleagues who tell me they’ve been on Facebook and liked the image.”
He developed his passion for photography after studying art and design at A-level at Brecon High School.
“I’ve been up Pen y Fan too many times to count now for work and pleasure,” he said. “I’ve gone up and sat around waiting for soldiers in great weather and also the really bad stuff too. On a few occasions my camera hasn’t even been taken out of the bag as the weather’s been too horrendous – usually rain, wind, visibility issues, as anyone who’s been up the Fan will know.
“You still have to make the effort though as you just can’t predict what’s going to happen. It can be glorious sunshine when you leave Brecon, get up the Fan then it all changes.
“It’s nice when you do manage to capture what soldiering is all about for the guys in an image, and it gets recognised in this way. Infantry soldiering is an arduous, unique job and I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to capture what a soldier does day-to-day for so many years, and work with this great community.”
Ian has captured the hard task of military training in the Welsh landscapes of both the Brecon Beacons along with at the Sennybridge Training Area on Mynydd Epynt as he has spent time out with military staff on the 62 courses run per year at the school.
He has also had the chance to collaborate with the rest of the Army Photographic team and the wider media, which helps to boost the trade.
The contest has attract the highest ever entries, with 780 photographs submitted throughout all the categories. Ian was presented with his prize at the Imperial War Museum, London, where a display of the winning images is being hosted.