Breathtaking images from the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition

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 groundImage 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 soilImage 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 mountainImage 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, IcelandImage 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 FranceImage 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 mountainsImage copyright
Sander Grefte

Image caption

Bonaire, Dutch Carribean

Third place, single image: Adam Hoszang, Hungary

A view of sand dunes beneath a night skyImage 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 forestImage copyright
Anke Butawitsch

Image caption

Madeira, Portugal

The Heavenly Cloud Award: Brandon Yoshizawa, US

Landscape view of the smoke plume of a rocket, above mountainsImage copyright
Brandon Yoshizawa

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SpaceX rocket exhaust plume, Sierra Nevada, California, US

The Abstract Aerial Award: Ignacio Palacios, Australia

An aerial view of coloured sandImage copyright
Ignacio Palacios

Image caption

Lencois Maranhenses, Brazil

The Wildlife in Landscape Award: Ricardo Da Cunha, Australia

A landscape view of snow-covered mountainsImage copyright
Ricardo Da Cunha

Image caption

West Mongolia

The Snow and Ice Award: Veselin Atanasov, Bulgaria

A view of a snow-covered forestImage 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 rangeImage 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 mountainImage copyright
Greg Stokesbury

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Sierras, California, US

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A mountainous landscape with lightning in the backgroundImage copyright
Benjamin Maze

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Lincoln’s Rock, Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia

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The side of a snow-covered mountainImage copyright
Daniel Mirlea

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Cozia National Park, Romania

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A view of the side of rock formations, looking up at the skyImage copyright
Craig Bill

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Page, Arizona, US

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A snowy landscapeImage copyright
Helder Silva

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Yosemite National Park, California, US

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A view of a forestImage copyright
Stanislao Basileo

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Turin, Italy

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A snow-covered forest and a waterfallImage copyright
Jaka Ivancic

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Croatia

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An aerial view of a lake and shoreImage copyright
Mat Beetson

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Pink Salt Lake, Kalbarri, Western Australia

Presentational white space

A view over glaciers with the Northern Lights in the skyImage copyright
Patrick Hertzog

Image caption

Vatnajokull National Park, Iceland

More winning photos can be found on the competition website.

source: bbc.com