Photo: Mark Hetherington/IGPOTY. Overall Winner, and 1st Place, Breathing Space, Competition 19. “Grange Fell Last Night”
There was some lovely light as the sun went down from Grange Fell in Borrowdale, in the Lake District. The combination of the golden, setting sun, blooming heather and silver birch trees created a mesmerising scene. Grange Fell, whose summit is just under 420 metres, is owned by the National Trust and was one of its first acquisitions in the Lake District in 1910. I blended four exposures together to form this HDR photograph.
Focusing on the genres of garden, plant, flower, and botanical photography, the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) has recently announced the winners of its 19th competition. The lauded images showcase spectacular vistas and the up-close beauty of the flowers and creatures that call them home. Each offers a powerful reminder of the world’s beauty, a subtle nod to how much we have to lose if we don’t act to maintain the health of our planet.
IGPOTY has nine single-image category winners and one Overall Winner award. Photographer Mark Hetherington took the top prize in Competition 19 for his image titled Grange Fell Last Night. The idyllic landscape appears to be something out of a fairytale, showcasing a rainbow array of hues. In the foreground, purple flowers lead to verdant greens and wistful blues as the composition extends toward mountains in the distance.
Hetherington’s scene is breathtaking, and the judges agreed. “The winning photograph depicts a stunning landscape vista, full of plant life, with layers of color and tactile textures, and through a well-balanced composition, truly immerses us in the scene. The use of multiple exposures has allowed us to see the environment in all its glory–many congratulations to Mark,” shares Tyrone McGlinchey FLS FRSA, Managing Director, Head Judge, IGPOTY.
Scroll down to see the winners of the IGPOTY Competition 19. The runners-up and third-place winners are available for viewing on the IGPOTY website.
The International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) has recently announced the winners of its 19th competition.
Photo: Ian Gilmour/IGPOTY. 1st Place, Abstract Views, Competition 19. “Autumn Flurry”
A photograph of trees reflected in the Rochdale Canal, combined in post-processing using blending modes, with a photograph of bokeh from lights reflected in a window–to give the impression of a windy autumn day.
Photo: Bernadette Benz, 1st Place/IGPOTY. Wildflower Landscapes, Competition 19. “Alpine Cotton Balls”
Scheuchzer's cotton grass (Eriophorum scheuchzeri) is a protected alpine plant that typically grows in wet, nutrient-poor peat in lowland moors, around ponds and on the banks of standing waters at altitudes of approximately 2,500 metres above sea level. During its flowering period from spring to summer, it can be recognised by its white, spherical spikes, which look like small cotton balls.
The contest recognizes the best images in the genres of garden, plant, flower, and botanical photography.
Photo: Stephen Studd/IGPOTY. 1st Place, PMC Plants & Planet, Competition 19. “Mangrove Restoration”
Mangroves are vital in the fight against climate change as well as being important habitats for wildlife. When floods and storms hit, they provide a natural barrier for coastal communities.
They sequester and store vast quantities of carbon, estimated by the UN to be approximately four billion tonnes. They do this up to ten times more efficiently than rainforests and other terrestrial forests. Despite the known benefits, mangrove forests have been subjected to more destruction and degradation during the past fifty years than any other type of forest on the planet.
In Kep, Cambodia there are projects underway that are addressing mangrove restoration with replanting projects along the coastline. These are important habitats for supporting fisheries as they provide nurseries and shelter for young fish and invertebrates, and form a basis for economic prosperity for coastal communities in these areas.
Photo: Perdita Petzl, 1st Place/IGPOTY. Wildlife in the Garden, Competition 19. “Rare Beauty”
In a nature reserve, I spotted this very beautiful eastern festoon butterfly (Zerynthia cerisy) roosting in the early morning. This is one of the rarest butterflies in Austria – and I am very fortunate that some small populations exist in my area. The butterfly often lives near vineyards, where its foodplant also thrives.
Photo: Tony North, 1st Place/IGPOTY. The World of Fungi, Competition 19. “Amethyst Deceivers”
A pair of amethyst deceiver mushrooms with a fly exploring its world of fungi in the woods. Despite their purple colour these mushrooms are edible, however they are similar in appearance to the poisonous lilac fibrecap mushroom. This shot is comprised of multiple images, focus stacked together.
Photo: Alison Tinson/IGPOTY. 1st Place, The Beauty of Plants, Competition 19. “Game, Set and Match”
Here, in the South of France, ordinarily, we see dahlias uniquely in late spring, so I was extremely surprised to see these beautiful specimens for sale at the flower market in October – so of course they came home with me! I captured this Dahlia with my Lensbaby Velvet 85mm lens, using manual focus and a narrow aperture, having placed the flower in my bespoke black box, I then guided the light with a handheld reflector, and directed the light to strike the jewelled centre which glistened so magically. The colours reminded me of a famous tennis tournament, hence the title.
Photo: Grant Bulloch, 1st Place/IGPOTY. Trees, Woods & Forests, Competition 19. “Glen Affric”
I climbed up above the treetops of the old Caledonian pines to look down on Glen Affric, and saw this diagonal contrast between the green pine trees, and the purple birches on the far side of the river.
Photo: Stephen Studd/IGPOTY. 1st Place, Beautiful Gardens, Competition 19. “Lower Pool, Exbury Gardens”
A spring morning at Exbury Gardens, photographed from the lower pool with sunlight bursting through the tree canopy–which illuminated the spectacular display of colours, that epitomises Exbury in spring.
