Highly commended in Landscape Photographer of the Year (LPOTY)

​Well it seems I’ve finally blotted my LPOTY copybook ;) and I’m happy to say my Reservoir Bogs image (below) was highly commended in the Your View category of the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. I found out on Friday but the email asked that I keep quiet until Monday and, being the good law abiding citizen that I am, quiet I have been! I did tell my husband but I think that was probably allowed! ;)

Some of you will know that I had a fairly unenviable record in this particular competition. I’d entered most years I think and never even got beyond the first round. Whist I was a bit upset about this at first, I have long since realised that it really is not something you should get too worked up about. I could name you plenty of superb photographers who did not make it through this year - in fact I was amazed by some of the images that failed to make the cut. Photographs that were technically and artistically superb in my opinion but, for whatever reason, they didn’t get past the judges on this occasion. That’s the nature of the beast I’m afraid. Whilst it’s lovely to do well in these competitions, you have to take the rough with the smooth and appreciate that subjectivity rules. I was also very flattered when, a couple of months ago, Tony Spencer was kind enough to say he thought this was one of the best images he’d seen recently. Coming from Tony, that’s one big compliment. This at a time when I knew the image had been shortlisted and the irony was not lost on me that, unlike last year, he was not on the panel of judges for the 2014 LPOTY competition! So I’m very grateful that the 2014 judges liked it enough to give me a highly commended! As for the photo? It was taken at the end of April this year, on my first and only visit to Lindley Wood Reservoir in the Washburn Valley, not far from Harrogate. I noticed these wonderful inky black reflections on the edge of the reservoir with an unusually uncluttered collection of willow trunks growing out of the water - all set up for a fluid but graphic compositions. Some of you will also know I’m not really a fan of ‘clever’ (naff?!) titles but, on the way back to the car, Reservoir Bogs just popped into my head and gave me a bit of a chuckle - so it stuck! Normally I’d probably call this something along the lines of ‘Some willow trees growing out of the water’! ;) I’ve been meaning to go back and try some more complex compositions here but have not yet found the opportunity. One for next year perhaps! The winner of the overall competition this year was Mark Littlejohn. Not a photographer I know personally but one whose work I very much admire and I have to say it is lovely to see such a superb and evocative abstract landscape photograph winning. He truly is a very deserving winner. Many congratulations to Mark and to all the other winners. But also a big nod to the many deserving photographers who did not make it this year, or who did not enter, but continue to produce excellent work on a regular basis. All the winning entries will be exhibited at Waterloo station, on the Mezzanine Level, from 1st December 2014 to 31st January 2015.