Natural Landscape Photography Award Winners Announced
Acompetition for natural landscape photography was set up by four USA-based photographers in 2021 – Tim Parkin, Matt Payne, Rajesh Jyothiswaran and Alex Nail – to create a platform for photographers depicting landscapes in a natural way.
“The aim of the competition was to represent landscape photographers who recognise the power that comes from truthful depiction of the natural world, whether shooting digitally or on film. While other competitions may allow complete freedom in digital manipulation, this competition was for photographers who choose to work within the more traditional bounds of the medium, while still expressing themselves creatively. It addresses the idea that the unique quality that photography has over other artistic mediums, is its grounding in reality. The competition showcased the skill of these photographers in revealing the wonders of the natural landscape. One of the most powerful aspects of a great landscape photograph is its ability to transport the viewer to relive a moment in time, distant location, or smaller scene, through the eyes of the photographer. This helps the viewer to engage with the subject matter, understand the relationships the photographer wanted to express, and allow photographs to support the case for conservation.
By constraining our photographs to represent the natural world in a truthful manner, we create trust in our art form’s unique position to pair real experiences with artistic creation. This does not preclude the use of editing tools such as Photoshop, which, when used sensitively, can enhance the viewer’s experience without misleading them”.