‘Morning at Countryside’ by Mara Leite is the winner of Landscape Photographer of the Year 2021.
Described by the judges as “a beautiful shot”, Mara’s view of West Sussex was taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III with an EF 70-300mm f / 4-5.6 IS USM lens.
“Mill Lane is a famous trail in Halnaker, West Sussex,” says Mara. “I was looking for a different composition when I decided to turn the other way and saw this beautiful view.
“I love the door in the background and the way the morning light hits the leaves and gently enters the tunnel.”
Mara topped the field by tens of thousands of entries to win her first prize of £ 10,000 ($ 13,600).
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Now in its 14th year, Landscape Photographer of the Year is one of the UK’s most prestigious photography competitions and aims to celebrate the rich and diverse landscape of the UK.
Founded by great British landscape photographer Charlie Waite, the competition provides an “ongoing platform to capture images that best symbolize our land and our times, and which will set our country’s record.”
(Image credit: LPoY)
All other winning and recommended images from this year’s competition will be published in the Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 14 book, available now in the UK, to be released in the US on February 15, 2022.
An exhibition of shortlisted and winning entries will also take place at London Bridge Station from November 15 to January 9; a UK tour will follow, with dates and locations to be confirmed shortly.
In the meantime, you can see a nice selection of some of the best images from the competition below…
Winner, black and white: ‘Daybreak Beside the River Brathay’, by Miles Middlebrook. “Mist rises from the River Brathay near the Skelwith Bridge in the Lake District, half an hour after dawn.” Shot with: Canon EOS 5DS with Tamron 85mm f / 1.8 VC lens (Image credit: Miles Middlebrook / LPotY)
Winner, classic view (youth): “The beast in beauty”, by Henri Abbott. “A drone photo of the local lot in Paulton, Somerset, with some fog coming from the left side.” Shot with: DJI Mini 2 (Image credit: Henri Abbott / LPotY)
Winner, Night landscapes: “Once in a lifetime” by Ian Asprey. “Cloud cover was forecast at 30%, so I gave it a shot. I wanted to get an iconic landmark with this alien treat, so a lot of planning and app use brought me to Anglesey. I had the sky I was praying for and took a lot of pictures. I chose this one because I liked the way the cloud mimicked the earth, adding a kind of symmetry. It was a “shoot at any cost” situation, because I knew my eyes would never again witness this space odyssey, marrying our world with the unknown. »Shooting with: Nikon Z 6 with 24-70mm lens (Image credit: Ian Asprey / LPotY)
Highly recommended, your view: ‘Malham Zig Zag’, by James Whitesmith. “Traditional drystone walls zigzag across the fields beneath Malham Lings in the Yorkshire Dales, as the rising sun begins to light up the scene. I arrived there long before sunrise; the whole valley was filled with thick fog, but as the minutes passed it started to move and back away. Luckily the swirling mist revealed the grove at the decisive moment, with the first direct light sweeping across the landscape. Shooting with: Sony Alpha 7R II with Sony FE 24-105mm f / 4 lens (Image credit: James Whitesmith / LPotY)
Winner, Urban Life: ‘Walk Diagonal’, by Karen Brickley. “The blue sky and the sun perfectly set off Lother Gotz’s ‘Dance Diagonal’ art installation at the Towner Gallery, Eastbourne. I stood in position and waited for a passerby to finish the shot. Shooting with: Canon EOS R with Canon RF 24-105mm lens (Image credit: Karen Brickley / LPotY)
Winner, Lines in the Landscape: ‘Glenfinnan Viaduct’, by Malcolm Blenkey. “I spent five days in Fort William. After doing some research, I knew the last day of the famous Jacobite Steam Train schedule would be my second day. I arrived in time to choose my position to capture the shot; as the train crossed the viaduct, the sun came and went, shining snow on the mountains in the background. I chose this point of view because I thought that if the sun pierced the cloud when the train arrived, it would be the best way to contrast the natural beauty of the place with the powerful man-made structure. Shooting with: Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon 24-105mm f / 4L IS USM Lens (Image credit: Malcolm Blenkey / LPotY)
Winner, Historic Britain: ‘Out of the Darkness’, by Mark Amphlett. “It was a very cloudy morning on Loch Awe. The forecast called for mist, and I was hoping for a light blanket around the lake; instead, the whole area was covered with thick low clouds. My first images that morning were very flat. I waited about an hour and chatted with a photographer colleague. In the end, my patience paid off, as a little break in the cloud lit up the castle and brought the whole scene to life. As often happens with beautiful light, it only lasted about two minutes. Shooting with: Canon EOS 6D with 24-70mm f / 2.8L lens (Image credit: Mark Amphlett / LPotY)
Winner, classic view: ‘Chesterton Windmill’, by Philip George. “I was coming back from Birmingham to Southampton and decided to take a detour via Chesterton Windmill because the sky was nice. I have been there several times already in the hope of having a good sky. This photo was taken quite late in the afternoon. Shooting with: Fujifilm X-T30 with Fujinon 10-24mm f / 4 lens (Image credit: Philip George / LPotY)
Winner, Your View: ‘Runner at Dawn’, by Robin Dodd. “A runner in the dawn mist along the towpath near Henley-on-Thames. My nighttime routine is to check my apps for morning mist or riverside fog. I will take the camera there before dawn if the conditions look good. I sit in front of the towpath, then I start filming while the mist and the sun make their show. I then blend the best of the movement with the scenery to give the viewer the same emotional vision I had watching this stunning light show itself – a time lapse all in one frame. Rowers, runners, cyclists, dog walkers – there are endless combinations to play with when it’s time to come home for breakfast. Shooting with: Canon EOS R with Sigma 100-400mm f / 5-6.3 lens (Image credit: Robin Dodd / LPotY)
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