Landscape Photographer Of The Year 2016 Exhibition Preview

Now in its 10th year, the Landscape Photographer of the year 2016 exhibition returns to The Balcony at Waterloo to honour and award the winners of the competition for their amazing photographs showcasing the diversity and beauty of the British Landscape. This competition was founded in 2006 by one of today's most respected landscape photographers - Charlie Waite. Stuart Fawcett went along to the opening evening to get a sneak-peak at the exhibition and to chat with some of the winners. 

There were four adult categories in the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition 2016: '#OMGB', 'Lines in the Landscape', 'Sunday Times Magazine Award' and the 'Adobe Prize'. There was also the 'Young Landscape Photographer of the Year 2016' award for those under seventeen.

With so many entries, choosing a single winner that stands out is always going to be hard but this year, that honour went to Matthew Cattell, an Architect from Berkshire, with his starling murmuration in Brighton. Charlie Waite and the judges particularly liked how the dark silhouettes of the birds stood out against the white of the waves - an 'unrepeatable and amazing shot' said, Charlie.

Landscape Photographer of the Year 2016, Matthew Cattell - Starling Vortex, Brighton, East Sussex, England

The other Category Winners shown below, left to right, included Damien Ward ('Adobe prize'), Hannah Faith Jackson ('Young Landscape Photographer of the Year 2016'), Mark Gilligan ('#OMGB award'), Rachael Talibart ('The Sunday Times Magazine Award'), Matthew Cattell ('Landscape Photographer of the Year 2016') and Francis Taylor (Network Rail 'Lines in the Landscape' Award).

The award evening was hosted and made possible by Charlie Waite and Countryfile celebrity presenter Julia Bradbury who brought a certain pizazz to the whole evening.

There were also lots of other Commended photographers present at the awards ceremony including those shown below: Sue Blythe, a chartered financial planner from the Isle of Man; Peter Henry, a landscape photographer based near the lakes and Simon J Masters, a Kent based landscape and commercial photographer.

The "Landscape Photographer of the Year: Collection 10" is also an AA published hardback book of over 200 beautiful pages. There has been one each year so far and later this year, there is going to be a special ten-year anniversary edition. To see more about the current book, which is available now, take a look at the AA shop.

As well as Visit Britain, The Sunday Times and Adobe, Network Rail are key sponsors of the competition and they are also facilitators of the exhibition touring stations around the UK throughout the year. To see which station near you will be hosting the exhibition, visit the Network Rail site.

And finally, to see all of the pictures from the awards, visit the Take A View website or visit Waterloo before 5 February 2017. The Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards are held in association with VisitBritain and the GREAT Britain #OMGB @Home of Amazing Moments’ Campaign.

Words and group pictures by Stuart Fawcett (JackAllTog)