A photograph of a small, transient stream created by heavy rain and dwarfed by the might of Glencoe’s mountains wins top prize in this year’s search for the UK’s ‘Landscape Photographer of the Year’. Cumbrian-based photographer, Mark Littlejohn becomes the eighth person to win the overall title and the £10,000 prize. His picture was chosen, by the judges, from the thousands of entries that showcase the richly diverse landscape of the UK.
From the evening sun slanting across the greenest of fields to ruined castles and starry skies, the winning photographs in the ‘Take a view – Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards’ not only display the talent of their creators but also inspire visitors to explore and discover the British countryside.
A Beginning and an End, Glencoe, Scotland by Mark Littlejohn – Landscape Photographer of the Year 2014
Charlie Waite, one of Britain’s best-loved landscape photographers and founder of Take a view said, “Mark discovered and isolated a fleeting moment of beauty within a vast and slightly threatening arena. The composition compels us to visually explore the image and its delicacy and understatement are enormously satisfying. I am very much looking forward to seeing the subtle colours and painterly textures of the scene in the large exhibition print.”
Mark Littlejohn spoke of his feelings on hearing the good news, “When I got the call, I was in a cafe in Tynemouth and it was a surreal experience to say the least. When you enter the competition you hope against hope that you will get an
image in the book and you can’t really consider the possibility that you will win. Even during the call, I expected Charlie to tell me I was runner-up or something of that nature and I struggled to take in the news that I’d actually won. I suppose
all I can say is that I just felt pure joy. I haven’t stopped smiling since.”
The exhibition of winning entries will be held on the recently-built Mezzanine at Britain’s busiest station, London Waterloo, which will showcase the very best of the British countryside in the very heart of the capital. Not only will the
photographs appear on display stands across the balcony but will also make an appearance on the amazing Motion@Waterloo, a 40m wide LCD screen which is the largest single indoor screen in the UK and spans the station from platforms 7 to 11. Opening on Monday, December 1st 2014, the exhibition is hosted by Network Rail and will run for nine weeks, closing on January 31st 2015. Admission is free.
All of the winning and commended photographs from the competition can be found in the Awards book ‘Landscape Photographer of the Year: Collection 8’ by AA Publishing, which is available from 10th November 2014.