The winners of the Weather Photographer of the Year competition are in and showcase snappers’ incredible ability to capture the elements.
Organised by the Royal Photographic Society and the Royal Meteorological Society, the contest takes place every year in a bid to find the best and most dramatic weather shots from around the world.
This year’s competition received over 2,000 submissions from more than 60 countries.
The winners of the Weather Photographer of the Year competition are out. Organised by the Royal Photographic Society and the Royal Meteorological Society the contest showcases the best in weather snaps. This year’s overall winner was Mike Olbinski with his shot ‘Superstrike’ of the Superstition Mountains in Arizona, U.S.A.
Another contender who performed well was UK photographer Scott Robertson with his stunning shot of a ‘fogbow’. He won the Public’s Favourite Image award for image of Rannoch Moor in Scotland. He called the piece ‘Calmer’ and managed to get the snap when he returned to photograph the tree for the second day in a row
This is Paul Kingston’s image called ‘Monster of the Deep’. It was taken at Seaham Lighthouse on the County Durham Coast, north east England
Images were scoured through by five judges: meteorologist and BBC weather presenter Matt Taylor, Sue Brown of FPRS Galleries, photo editor of the Royal Meteorological Society Matt Clark, its chief executive Liz Bentley and chief executive of the Royal Photographic Society Dr Michael Pritchard.
The grand prize for 2017 went to Mike Olbinski with his ‘Superstrike’ image of a dramatic lightening storm over Arizona’s Superstition Mountains.
His stunning image was taken on June 3 2015 at 12.50am. The photographer waited an hour and a half to get the perfect shot and only had 10 seconds to select the best image when the bolts finally came down.
Pictured is a rainbow appearing over a field of poppies near Salisbury, Wiltshire, during a brief rain shower. Taken by Stu Meech
This stunning entry ‘Frozen Fall’ was submitted by Merveille Adomou and captures icicles hanging from a frozen car. The close up shot really shows the details and number of icicles
Paul Jacobs submitted multiple entries of Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower. They were captured in the early hours of the morning in July 2014. The image is called ‘Lightening Storm’
He said: ‘In the wee hours of June 3rd, 2015, I captured the most amazing lightning strike of my career.
‘A long road runs into the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix, an ideal composition.
‘I waited for 90 minutes until the storm finally got closer to me and suddenly the sky erupted in this single, 10-second exposure, and I knew the moment I saw it that it was the best lightning image I’d ever taken.’
This is Laurie Reed’s entry to the competition. It shows the very early start she had to capture the sunrise and frost covering the heather at a Lincolnshire nature reserve
This dramatic image of a small church underneath a dark cloudy sky was taken by Craig Boehm. It was submitted with a group of seven other images, all taken in Saskatchewan, Canada
Winner of the Public’s Favourite Image award was Scott Robertson with his image of a ‘fogbow’ arching over a tree at Rannoch Moor in Scotland.
He said: ‘I’d shot this tree the previous day when it was dripping with deep fresh snow. Deciding to return the following day I retraced my steps which were still visible in the snow.
‘The mist was thick but just beginning to clear as I arrived. Not long afterwards I could see a faint fogbow appearing around the tree. I’d seen fogbows before but knew they were relatively rare.
‘After capturing several shots the bow gently faded, never to return.’
Another popular image was Paul Kingston’s ‘Monster of the Deep’, which shows gigantic waves lashing against Seaham Lighthouse on the County Durham coast in north east England.
First prize in the 17-years and over competition was Adrian Theze for his image from Reykjavik, Iceland, ‘Eye of the Storm’.
Third place in the 17-years-old and over category went to Michele Palazzo, of the U.S.A., for his impressive shot of the Flatiron Building in New York City. It was taken during a blizzard in January 2016
Runner up in the 16-years and under category was Marco Imazio from Italy with his winter shot of Torino called ‘White Cloth of Snow’
He said: ‘This photograph was taken during a drive north from Reykjavik to Akureyri in Iceland.
‘I’d been driving through very heavy snow for many hours when suddenly, there was a break in the storm and I could see the coast.
‘I could also see that the respite was going to be very short lived. The window in the weather lasted just 10 minutes or so.’
This is another shot taken by winning photographer Mike Olbinski. This time he decided to chase after the Wynnewood Tornado, nicknamed Katie, which broke out in Oklahoma, U.S.A. in May 2016
Second prize went to Michele Palazzo, U.S.A, for his image ‘Flatiron Building in the Blizzard’ taken in New York City in 2016.
He said: ‘While walking through the Jonas Winter Storm that swept across the east coast in January 2016, I captured this shot of the Flatiron Building against a backdrop of swirling snow.
‘With the exception of a few minor details like logos and a food cart, the image looks like an impressionist right out of another century.
‘The cloudy atmosphere and gusty winds creates patterns that appear uncannily like brush strokes.’
Paul Kingston, who also shot ‘Monsters of the Deep’, submitted this ‘Autumnal Fog’ image as well. The dramatic clouds cover most of the forest, but the trees can be seen peaking through to create a beautiful picture
This is Nicky Rochussen’s dramatic image ‘A Storm Over Sydney’. She also submitted a striking picture of a dark sky over the Sydney Opera House
In third place was Merveille Adomou also from the U.S., who bagged her spot on the photography podium for her close up ‘Frozen Fall’.
The runner up in the 16-years and under category was Marco Imazio from Italy with his picture ‘White Cloth of Snow’.
He commented: ‘I took this image during a freezing day of Winter, in Torino, Italy. It was snowing, a white cloth of snow was laying on the ground.
Luisa Imazio from Italy won the Young Weather Photographer of the Year award for her image ‘Photographer’s Troubles’
‘A man crossed the road. It’s a beautiful image that represents the perfection of nature, landscapes and the beauty of weather.’
The Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2017 was given to Luisa Imazio from Italy for her picture ‘Photographer’s Troubles’.
She said: ‘The rain is hitting the ground – and also an unlucky photographer who is trying to take the perfect shot. Fighting against the rain he gets soaked as he uses the only umbrella he has to protect his camera.’
This fantastic picture shows clouds scattered across Orton Scar in Cumbria. It was taken by Stephan Brzozowski in 2014 and was processed in monochrome to emphasise the contrast between the white clouds and deep blue sky
This astonishing image shows the London skyline with a heavy storm brooding. It was taken by Elena Chaykina, who focused on The Shard and writes: ‘It was a heavy storm, and sky looked very moody. Suddenly I noticed a rainbow which was visible just above Canary Wharf district! It looked like a symbol of hope for a good future for the UK financial sector in the midst of Brexit talks…’
Source: The Daily Mail
