RUNNER-UP

I love this. You know the air must be pure, because the moss is so green. That might be because it looks like it was raining when the shot was taken but it certainly gives it a freshness. JULIA BRADBURY (LEFT)

Susan Albrighton, 41, a business development manager for a pharmaceuticals wholesaler who lives in Birmingham, wins £500 for her atmospheric shot of Puck’s Glen in Benmore, Argyll and Bute.

‘I’ve been taking photographs since I was a child when my dad gave me a basic camera with 24 exposures,’ says Susan. ‘I now use something rather more sophisticated: a Sony A7R II compact camera, which is easy to use and carry around. I love Scotland. If it were nearer to Birmingham where I live, I’d explore it every weekend.

‘ It was bucketing with rain when I took this shot but there was something about this twist and turn along the riverbank that struck me as magical, a scene perhaps out of The Lord Of The Rings. The locals believe fairies live there – and you can see why.’

WHAT THE JUDGES THOUGHT

Ben ‘This summons up ancient Britain for me with all that moss and lichen. You feel as though this photograph could have been taken years and years ago and wouldn’t have looked any different. There’s a timeless quality about it.’

John ‘I want to explore it and discover what’s round the next bend. There’s a distinctly magical quality about it but I don’t find it remotely frightening.’

Damien ‘It’s clever because the softness of the setting doesn’t blunt the sharpness of the shot.’