In Pictures

Breathtaking images from the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition

  • 10 February 2020

A set of four images by Russian photographer Oleg Ershov has been awarded first place in the International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2019 competition.

A photo showing a stone on an undulating ground Image copyright Oleg Ershov
Image caption Fleswick Bay, England

Mr Ershov beat 3,400 rival entries by 840 photographers from around the world. His images, above and below, show landscapes in England and Iceland.

"My passion for landscape photography is based on a love of nature, especially in places where human intervention is not yet visible," he said.

An aerial view of natural patterns in soil Image copyright Oleg Ershov
Image caption Blafellsa, Iceland

"Just being in location at dawn and watching the start of a new day gives me tremendous vitality."

Mr Ershov is an amateur photographer and funds his passion by working for a food distribution company.

He says his favourite destinations for shooting landscapes are Iceland, Scotland and the south-west of the US.

A landscape view of a mountain Image copyright Oleg Ershov
Image caption Kerlingarfjoll, Iceland

"My interest in photography began in 2007 when I bought my first DSLR camera and signed up for a photo tour to the south-west USA.

"I was struck by the tremendous variety of landscapes, colours and textures found in nature."

A landscape of a valley and a river at Haifoss, Iceland Image copyright Oleg Ershov
Image caption Haifoss, Iceland

French photographer Magali Chesnel won the competition for a single image, with her photo entitled The Harvest of Road Salt.

Her image, below, shows the Salin de l'ile Saint Martin; a saltworks in Gruissan, France.

An aerial view showing a saltworks in France Image copyright Magali Chesnel
Image caption Le Salin de l'Île Saint-Martin, Gruissan, France

Here are other award winners:

Second place, single image: Sander Grefte, Netherlands

A landscape view of mountains Image copyright Sander Grefte
Image caption Bonaire, Dutch Carribean

Third place, single image: Adam Hoszang, Hungary

A view of sand dunes beneath a night sky Image copyright Peter Adam Hoszang
Image caption Sharqiya Sands Desert, Oman

The competition created special award categories, unique to this year's awards.

The Lone Tree Award: Anke Butawitsch, Germany

A photo of an old tree in a green forest Image copyright Anke Butawitsch
Image caption Madeira, Portugal

The Heavenly Cloud Award: Brandon Yoshizawa, US

Landscape view of the smoke plume of a rocket, above mountains Image copyright Brandon Yoshizawa
Image caption SpaceX rocket exhaust plume, Sierra Nevada, California, US

The Abstract Aerial Award: Ignacio Palacios, Australia

An aerial view of coloured sand Image copyright Ignacio Palacios
Image caption Lencois Maranhenses, Brazil

The Wildlife in Landscape Award: Ricardo Da Cunha, Australia

A landscape view of snow-covered mountains Image copyright Ricardo Da Cunha
Image caption West Mongolia

The Snow and Ice Award: Veselin Atanasov, Bulgaria

A view of a snow-covered forest Image copyright Veselin Atanasov
Image caption Central Balkan, Bulgaria

The competition also produced a selection of the best 101 photo entries, including the images below.

View of a mountain range Image copyright Armand Sarlangue
Image caption North Cainevlle Mesa, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, US
Presentational white space
A river in front of a snow-covered mountain Image copyright Greg Stokesbury
Image caption Sierras, California, US
Presentational white space
A mountainous landscape with lightning in the background Image copyright Benjamin Maze
Image caption Lincoln's Rock, Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia
Presentational white space
The side of a snow-covered mountain Image copyright Daniel Mirlea
Image caption Cozia National Park, Romania
Presentational white space
A view of the side of rock formations, looking up at the sky Image copyright Craig Bill
Image caption Page, Arizona, US
Presentational white space
A snowy landscape Image copyright Helder Silva
Image caption Yosemite National Park, California, US
Presentational white space
A view of a forest Image copyright Stanislao Basileo
Image caption Turin, Italy
Presentational white space
A snow-covered forest and a waterfall Image copyright Jaka Ivancic
Image caption Slovenia
Presentational white space
An aerial view of a lake and shore Image copyright Mat Beetson
Image caption Pink Salt Lake, Kalbarri, Western Australia
Presentational white space
A view over glaciers with the Northern Lights in the sky Image copyright Patrick Hertzog
Image caption Vatnajokull National Park, Iceland

More winning photos can be found on the competition website.

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