Countryside life and its natural glory captured by amateur photographers
STUNNING IMAGES that capture the very essence of the countryside in their depictions of nature and people have been picked out for special praise in a national competition.
Held by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) over the last 12 months, hundreds of photographs telling the story of rural England and Wales were submitted by amateur snappers.
Following a judging process, the best entry for the North of England has been chosen as a shot of a gamekeeper on Scargill Grouse Moor, taken by Annie Robinson from North Yorkshire.
Ms Robinson has won a food lovers hamper from Harrogatebased farm shop and cafe Fodder for her photograph.
The overall national winner was a picture entitled Power Dust which shows a tractor kicking up dust as its is driven across farmland during a dramatic orange hued sunset. It was taken by Heather Ross from Birmingham who wins £1,000, a drone workshop with professional photographer Ed Shepherd and gifts from White Heron Drinks.
A number of amateur photographers from Yorkshire were given honourable mentions for their impressive entries by the judges, including Harry Johnson from North Yorkshire for his opportunistic shot of a dog gazing into the camera lens, its big ears caught by the breeze as it stood in a field of wheat.
Sarah Hendry, the CLA’s director general, said: “Judging the entries was like opening a vast sack of sweets. The range and diversity of the photos submitted celebrates the endless variety, beauty and interest that we find in our countryside and rural communities.”
The best under-18 entry was a portrait of a pheasant, taken by Katy Read from Newcastle.