AGS Photographic Competition 2023

We received a huge number of entries for this year’s competition, 467 in all, more than 60 in five of the 9 classes.  The standard was excellent, and the judges were hard-pressed to separate the winners.  Because there were so many images of such high quality, the judges awarded several images in each class ‘Highly Commended’ status, where they had missed out narrowly on the prizes.

As usual, we would like to thank the judges for their hard work (a long and gruelling but enjoyable day of Zoom meetings), and of course all the exhibitors for entering such an impressive array of pictures and making the judges’ job so difficult.

Entries for this class should feature both a plant (or plants) and the landscape or habitat in which they grow.  The plant or plants should feature prominently in the photo, but be balanced by the landscape; the scenery should support and not dominate the composition, but convey a sense of context and geographical location.

In this class, perhaps more than any other, good composition is key, and that is easier to achieve with a well-defined, compact clump of flowers rather than a meadow full of flowers, spreading out from the primary subject on all sides.

Many photographers seem to feel that it is wrong to crop the image taken by their camera; it is not only allowed, the judges expect the photographer to crop the image to produce an effective composition.  It is much better to leave a little more space around the subject when taking the photo, and then crop it afterwards to produce a pleasing result.

This year, the judges were insistent that the plant(s) should be the main subject of the image, and preferred such images over mountain views which happened to have plants in the foreground.

First: Joan McCaughey, Ballinderry Upper, Lisburn, Northern Ireland

• Gentiana verna
• Taken near Männlichen, above Wengen, with the North Face of the Eiger in the distance.  June 2023.
• Camera: Apple iPhone SE

A fabulous capture of a much-loved alpine; the plant is definitely the main subject of the image, with enough to suggest an alpine landscape behind.

Second: Tony Goode, Tywyn, UK

• Saxifraga paniculata.
• Vallon de Nant, above Bex, Canton Vaud, Switzerland.  June 2023.
• Camera: Sony ILCE-6400 with E18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens at 50mm
• f 16, exposure 1/200 sec, ISO 320.

The shaft of sunshine on the plant focuses attention on it, and away from the background mountains, which support the subject rather than competing with it.

Third=: Steve Clayton, Ripponden, UK

• Narcissus poeticus
• Photographed June 2018 in Vallon de Chambran.
• Camera: Sony DSC-RX100M3 with 24-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens
• Exposure 1/320sec at f5.6, ISO 125.

The judges liked the composition here, and the way the eye followed the flowers up the valley to the cascades, before returning to the daffodils.

Third =: Karen Gregory, London, UK

• Platanthera bifolia
• Photographed July 2023 at Passo Rolle.
• Camera: Nikon D3300 with 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 lens at 20mm
• Exposure 1/50sec at f20, ISO 200.

This is a lovely view with a clear foreground subject and a great stormy landscape behind, but the left-hand spike in particular is moving or out of focus, and the picture quality is rather noisy.

Highly Commended: Steve Clarke, London, UK

• Doronicum glaciale
• Photographed June 2022.
• Camera: Apple iPhone 12 Pro

Highly Commended: Hilary Birks, Norway

• Orchis italica
• Photographed April 2023 near Mournes, Crete
• Camera: Ricoh Pentax K-70 & Pentax-DA 18-135mm zoom lens at 60mm
• Exposure: 1/125 sec at f22, ISO 400

Highly Commended: Janet Hails, Worcester, UK

• Pinus nigra
• Photographed December 2023, Troodos, Crete
• Camera: Ricoh Pentax K-1 Mk II with Pentax-D FA 100mm macro lens
• Exposure: 1/160 sec at f13, ISO 160

Highly Commended: Liam McCaughey, Ballinderry Upper, Lisburn, Northern Ireland

• Primula farinosa   
• Taken near Männlichen, above Wengen, looking down on the Lauterbrunnen valley.  June 2023.
• Camera: Apple iPhone 13 mini

Highly Commended: Steve Clayton, Ripponden, UK

• Pulsatilla alpina subsp apiifolia
• Photographed above Col du Glandon, Savoie, France.  June 2017
• Camera: Sony DSC-RX100M3 with 24-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens
• Exposure 1/125sec at f4.0, ISO 125.

Highly Commended: Dr. Andrew Scott, UK

• Sempervivum arachnoideum
• Gran Paradiso, Italy. July 2012
• Camera: Nikon Coolpix S620
• Exposure 1/200sec at f5.4, ISO 100

Highly Commended: Roger Brownbridge, UK

• Silene acaulis
• Zermatt, Switzerland, July 2011
• Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ28
• Exposure: 1/400sec at f7.1, ISO 100

In this class the essential element is to feature a plant in its entirety (more in the manner of a botanical study), including all flowers, leaves and stems. The immediate scenery need only suggest a wild location.

 First: Bob Gibbons, Wimborne, Dorset, UK

• Pulsatilla alpina subsp. apiifolia.
• Nufenen Pass, Switzerland: June 2023.
• Camera Nikon D850 with 105mm f2.8 macro lens
• Exposure 1/250sec at f11, ISO 64.

This image was chosen as the best image in the competition, and as the Overall Winner.  The judges loved the backlighting, the low angle, and the careful handling of depth of field to yield the soft out-of-focus background.

Second: Cedrik Haskovec, Prague, Czech Republic.

• Anemone blanda.
• Parnas, Greece: May 2015
• Camera Olympus M5 with 60mm macro lens
• Exposure 1/640sec at f9, ISO 200.

A lovely capture of flowers, but the rock is a little bright and distracting.

Third: Chris Moore, London, UK

• Primula angustifolia.
• Pikes Peak, CO, USA: July 2023.
• Camera Nikon Z fc with Nikkor Z 35mm lens
• Exposure 1/160sec at f6.3, ISO 100.

Very pleasing, but needs a little more contrast to make it stand out against tough competition.

Highly Commended: Oliver Cheney, London UK

• Dianthus pavonius
• Photographed on the Col de Vars, July 2020
• Apple iPhone 6s

Highly Commended: Bob Gibbons, Wimborne, UK

• Erythronium dens-canis
• Photographed in the Pyrenees, April 2023.
• Camera Nikon D850 with 105mm f2.8 macro lens
• Exposure 1/200sec at f7.1, ISO 80

Highly Commended: Ursula Junker, Olten, Switzerland

• Geum reptans
• Photographed on Eggishorn, Goms, Switzerland, August 2023.
• Camera: Nikon D7500, fitted with Nikkor 10-20 mm lens at 20 mm (equivalent 30 mm)
• Exposure 1/125sec at f9.0, ISO 200

Highly Commended: Steve Clayton, Ripponden, UK

• Primula hirsuta
• Photographed in Savoie, France.  June 2017
• Camera: Sony DSC-RX100M3 with 24-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens
• Exposure 1/500sec at f4.0, ISO 125.

Highly Commended: Karen Gregory, London, UK

• Ranunculus seguieri
• Photographed June 2023.
• Camera: Nikon D3300 with 40mm F2.8 lens
• Exposure 1/800sec at f11, ISO 200

Highly Commended: Oliver Cheney, London, UK

• Saxifraga oppositifolia
• Photographed above Mt. Cenis, July 2020
• Camera: Apple iPhone 6s

Highly Commended: Stepanka Haskovcova, Prague, Czech Republic

• Saxifraga stellaris
• No details

Here the photographer should be trying to reveal the more intimate beauty of alpines by emphasizing features of special interest, such as individual flower(s), groups of leaves or magnified floral structures. The picture can be taken in the wild, in the garden or in the studio, with natural or artificial lighting.

First: John Dower, Frodsham, UK

• Plantago argentea
• Picos de Europa, June 2023
• Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ330
• Exposure 1/640sec at f4, ISO 100.

This captures lovely detail of a familiar and common flower, with a pleasing soft background (despite the yellow flower in the bottom left, which could clearly have been cloned out).  The diagonal angle added a sense of energy to the image.

Second: Chris Moore, London, UK

• Clematis hirsutissima.
• Florissant Fossil Beds, CO, USA: July 2023.
• Camera Nikon Z fc with Nikkor Z 35mm lens
• Exposure 1/80sec at f6.3, ISO 100.

The judges particularly enjoyed the contrast between the flower and the out of focus bud.

Third: Bob Gibbons, Wimborne, Dorset, UK

• Geum montanum seedheads,
• French Pyrenees.  June, 2023.
• Camera: Canon EOS R5 with RF 100-500mm lens at 324mm
• Exposure 1/8000sec at f6.3, ISO 1600.

Beautiful, but against strong competition.

Highly Commended: Karen Gregory, London, UK

• Androsace hausmannii
• Photographed June 2023
• Camera: Nikon D3300 with 18-55mm lens at 55mm
• Exposure 1/800sec at f11, ISO 200

Highly Commended: Tony Goode, Tywyn, UK

• Crocus laevigatus
• Photographer’s garden, November 2021.
• Camera: Nikon D5200 with 55-200mm lens at 200mm
• Exposure: 1/200 sec at f14: ISO 640.

Highly Commended: Janet Hails, Worcester, UK

• Dianthus species
• Photographed June 2023, Pindos, Greece
• Camera: Ricoh Pentax K-1 Mk II with Pentax-D FA 100mm macro lens
• Exposure: 1/160 sec at f13, ISO 800

Highly Commended: Stepanka Haskovcova, Prague, Czech Republic

• Ononis cristata
• Photographed June 2016
• Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ200
• Exposure: 1/160sec at f4.0, ISO 100

Highly Commended: Roger Brownbridge, UK

• Pulsatilla alpina
• Mannlichen, Switzerland, June 2016
• Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ48
• Exposure: 1/800sec at f5.6, ISO 100

Highly Commended: Bob Gibbons, Wimborne, UK

• Ruscus hypoglossum
• Photographed in Slovenia, March 2023.
• Camera Nikon D850 with 105mm f2.8 macro lens
• Exposure 1/250sec at f22, ISO 500

Highly Commended: Alex O’Sullivan, Crowborough, UK

• Viola montagnei
• Photographer’s garden, September 2020
• Camera: Huawei YAL-L21

This can be in your own garden or a garden you have visited.  The plant(s) may be displayed in a close-up, portrait or wider view.  We tend to go out and take ‘snaps’ of the plants in our garden, but it is well worth spending some additional effort to take better quality images.  In a garden, particularly your own, you have more control over the timing of your photo, so you should be able to take it when the plant is in perfect condition, the weather is cooperative, and the light is good.  You also have scope to use artificial light sources and backgrounds if you deem these to be necessary.

First: Graham Dennis, Bristol, UK

• Dianthus squarrosus.
• Photographer’s garden.  May 2023.
• Camera: Panasonic DC-LX100M2
• Exposure: 1/800th sec at f5.6: ISO 200

There is great detail in the white flowers, and the imaginative use of the shadow set it apart from the rest.

Second: Jon Royds, Warminster, UK

• Saxifraga aff Southside Seedling.     
• Photographer’s garden, June 2022.
• Camera: Nikon D80 with 50mm f1.8 lens.
• Exposure: 1/500 sec at f14: ISO 400.

Good capture of a large flowering spike.

Third: Jon Royds, Warminster, UK

• Rhododendron dwarf hybrid.
• Photographer’s garden, May 2022.
• Camera: Nikon D90 with 50mm f1.8 lens.
• Exposure: 1/320 sec at f16: ISO 400.

Nicely balanced and composed.

Highly Commended: Hilary Birks, Norway

• Anemone nemorosa
• Photographer’s Garden.  May 2023
• Camera: Apple iPhone SE

Highly Commended: Stepanka Haskovcova, Prague, Czech Republic

• Armeria juniperifolia
• Photographed May 2022
• Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ1000
• Exposure: 1/1600sec at f2.8, ISO 125

Highly Commended: Tony Goode, Tywyn, UK

• Crocus niveus
• Photographer’s garden, September 2021.
• Camera: Nikon D5200 with 55-200mm lens at 68mm
• Exposure: 1/250 sec at f16: ISO 200.

Highly Commended: Celia Sawyer, Long Compton, Warwickshire, UK

• Erinus alpinus
• Photographer’s garden, May 2023
• Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro

Highly Commended: Rosie Turner, Southport, UK

• Hepatica nobilis
• Photographer’s Garden, April 2013
• Camera: Olympus DMC-T27
• Exposure: 1/250 sec at f4.0, ISP 80

Highly Commended: Steve Clarke, London, UK

• Scutellaria indica var. parviflora
• Photographed June 2021.
• Camera: Apple iPhone 12 Pro.

Many of our members grow their alpines not in the open garden but in pots.  Here we would like to see photos of those plants.  This subject gives you the opportunity to apply a great deal more photographic control than plants in the wild:  you can control where you take the photo (indoors or outdoors, with any background you choose), when you take the photo (when the plant is in perfect condition), and time of day, which gives control over lighting and weather.  You can use artificial light sources and backgrounds if you wish.

First: Tony Goode, Tywyn, UK.       

• Crocus laevigatus
• Photographer’s garden, November 2023.
• Camera: Sony ILCE-6400 with E18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens at 135mm
• Exposure: 1/160 sec at f18: ISO 400.

Although this is a side-view, the aspect is high enough to see the orange stigmas of the flowers, as well as the feathering on the back of the petals.  The depth of field has been controlled well to ensure the background is out of focus.

Second   Steve Clayton, Ripponden, UK.

• Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex ‘Plena’.
• Photographer’s garden,: April 2022.
• Camera: Sony DSC-RX100M3 with 24-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens
• Exposure 1/640sec at f4, ISO 125.

Excellent capture – a shame the top flower is cropped.

Third: Tony Goode, Tywyn, UK.

• Oxalis enneaphylla
• Photographer’s garden, April 2023.
• Camera: Sony ILCE-6400 with 55-200mm lens at 200mm
• Exposure: 1/250 sec at f22: ISO 100.

Nice angle but looks imbalanced and could be cropped on the left-hand side, even though the leaves are interesting.

Highly Commended: Steve Clarke, London, UK

• Iris winogradowii
• Photographed February 2022 at the AGS Pershore Show.
• Camera: Apple iPhone 12 Pro.

A great capture with lovely backlighting – about as good as you can do as a visitor taking pictures of plants on the show benches.  But the plant label and red writing behind are still a distraction.

Highly Commended: James Miller, Sheffield, UK

• Lachenalia bulbifera ‘George’
• Photographed in the Alpine House at RHS Harlow Carr
• Camera: No information

Highly Commended: John Dower, Frodsham, UK.

• Sempervivum ciliosum var. borisii
• Photographer’s garden, June 2022
• Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ330
• Exposure 1/160sec at f4, ISO 100

Highly Commended: Janet Hails, Worcester, UK

• Spiranthes spiralis
• Photographer’s garden, August 2023
• Camera: Ricoh Pentax K-1 Mk II with Pentax-DA* 300mm F4 lens
• Exposure: 1/200 sec at f13, ISO 1600

A beautiful image with a lovely background, but the judges didn’t like the black pot and felt the image would be better in class 3.

Wild flowers are always accompanied by fauna from the mammoth to the minuscule.  The majority are an interesting distraction, but make popular subjects for many photographers.  Most of us, returning from a trip to view alpine flowers in the wild, will find at least a few photos of wildlife amongst our images.  If the background shows a mountain landscape or alpine plants that gives a welcome context.

Once again this year, the entries for this class were exceptional, and the judges had difficulty picking the winners from their final shortlist of Highly Commended images.

First: Oliver Cheney, London, UK

• Alpine ibex, Capra ibex
• below Monte Argentera, Maritime Alps: July 2020
• Camera: iPhone 6s

There were some wonderful images in this class, and in a way this is quite a curious winner.  But the judges loved the way it captured the habitat and feeding behaviour of these Ibex, emerging from the misty low cloud.  The image really transports the viewer to the scene.

Second: Anne Hughes, Belfast, UK

• Tern
• Ushuaia, Argentina, November 2022.
• Camera: Canon EOS 7D MkII + EF70-200mm f2.8L lens
• Exposure 1/750sec at f5.6, ISO 320.

Lovely capture of the bird, nicely composed.  The red beak and feet provide a focal point.

Third=: Bob Gibbons, Wimborne, Dorset, UK                

• Male Cleopatra butterfly, Gonepteryx cleopatra.
• Pyrenees: June 2023.
• Camera Canon EOS R5 with RF 100-500mm lens at 363mm
• Exposure 1/8000sec at f7.1, ISO 2000.

Exceptional skill to capture this butterfly in flight, but the composition doesn’t really work.

Third=: Stepanka Haskovcova, Prague, Czech Republic

• Under the Tofana
• Dolomites, Italy.  July 2017.
• Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ1000
• Exposure 1/1600sec at f5.6, ISO 125

This amused the judges, who liked the shadows, the floppy ears, and the way the sheep were looking at the camera.

Highly Commended:  Bob Gibbons, Wimborne, Dorset, UK

• Alpine Chough.
• Dolomites: June 2010.
• Camera: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III with 150mm lens
• Exposure 1/400sec at f11, ISO 250.

Highly Commended: Bob Gibbons, Wimborne, Dorset, UK

• Fallow Deer in snowy conditions.
• Spanish Pyrenees, April 2022.
• Camera: Canon EOS R5 with RF 100-500mm lens at 451mm
• Exposure 1/5000sec at f9.0, ISO 640.

Highly Commended: Tony Goode, Tywyn, UK

• Lesser Purple Emperor Butterfly
• Photographed June 2023.
• Camera: Sony ILCE-6400 with 18-135mm lens at 135mm
• Exposure: 1/200 sec at f20: ISO 640.

Highly Commended: Tony Duffey, Southport, UK

• Privet Hawk Moth on Privet
• Camera: Ricoh Pentax K-52 with Pentax-F 100m macro lens
• Exposure: 1/320 sec at f4.5, ISO 200
• A fabulous capture of insect, but the judges felt it was probably raised in captivity and captured in a studio.

Highly Commended: Janet Hails, Worcester, UK

• Small skipper
• Polden Hills, Somerset, July 2023
• Camera: Ricoh Pentax K-1 Mk II with 100mm lens
• Exposure: 1/640 sec at f2.8, ISO 160

Highly Commended: Celia Sawyer, Long Compton, Warwickshire, UK

• Southern Swallowtail on Onopordon acanthium
• Termessos, SW Turkey, June 2023
• Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro

This class is for an alpine landscape.  It need not necessarily show specific plants but should concentrate on the scenic beauty and/or geology of the setting. You should be inspired by unusual natural beauty, from the small and intimate to the grand panorama. This class always attracts a great diversity of images, and it is one of the most interesting, and difficult, to judge.

First: Bob Gibbons, Wimborne, Dorset, UK

• Col de Bouesou
• View south-west from the Col de Bouesou over the Foret d’Issaux, near Lees-Athas in the western Pyrenees (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), France: August 2023
• Camera: Nikon D7500 with 10-20mm lens at 12mm
• Exposure 1/500 sec at f11, ISO 200.

The judges loved the shades in the leaves, hinting at approaching autumn, and the way the lines of the building lead the eye up the valley to the distant peaks, and that crucial break in the clouds.

Second: Rosie Turner, Southport, UK.

• Rocher du Parquet, Vercors, France, May 2023.
• Camera: Motorola moto g62 5G

Lovely soft light, with green meadows leading up to a spectacular escarpment.

Third: Janet Hails, Worcester, UK.

• Northern Peloponnese, Greece, May 2023.
• Camera: Ricoh Pentax K-1 Mark II
• Exposure 1/640 sec at f8 ISO 200

Very good, but a little too much sky and the tree on right can be cropped a little to focus attention on the valley.

Highly Commended: Ursula Junker, Olten, Switzerland

• Aletsch Glacier seen from Eggishorn, Goms, Valais, Switzerland
• Photographed on Eggishorn, Goms, Switzerland, August 2023.
• Camera: Nikon D7500, fitted with Nikkor 10-20 mm lens at 12 mm (equivalent 18mm)
• Exposure 1/500sec at f11.0, ISO 200

Highly Commended: Bob Gibbons, Wimborne, Dorset, UK

• Looking north from the Forcella lavaredo on the Drei Zinnen/Tre Cime, towards Dreizinnenhütte/ Rifugio Locatelli hut and Monte Paterno.
• Photographed in Dolomites, June 2023.
• Camera: Canon EOS R5 with RF 100-500mm lens at 100mm
• Exposure 1/1600sec at f11.0, ISO 800.

Highly Commended: Dr. Andrew Scott, UK

• Lustra Highland above Uzungol and Sekersu Highland
• Photographed in Turkey. July 2010
• Camera: Nikon D40X with 18-55mm lens at 18mm
• Exposure 1/250sec at f10, ISO 200

Highly Commended: Janet Hails, Worcester, UK.

• Photographed in Northern Peloponnese, Greece, May 2023.
• Camera: Ricoh Pentax K-1 Mark II
• Exposure 1/125 sec at f13 ISO 100

Highly Commended: Karen Gregory, London, UK

• Pala Range
• Photographed in the Dolomites, June 2023
• Camera: Sony XQ-AD51

Here we are looking for a quirky, amusing or unusual image featuring alpine plants. Digital manipulation is allowed; in fact anything goes, and we hope to see some wildly imaginative images.

This class always produces a wide variety of images, which makes it an entertaining break in the hours of debate by the judges.

First: Steve Clayton, Ripponden, UK

• Unknown Seedheads
• Alps of Provence, June 2015
• Camera: Nikon D700 + 28-300mm lens at 122mm
• Exposure 1/160sec at f16, ISO 200
• Editing: Combines use of several effects, including the Edge Filter, vignetting using the gradient tool, and saturation enhancement for specific colours.

This was an excellent use of artistic filters; the judges loved the way the outlining enhanced the softness of the seed ‘fluff’ and the contrasting orange of the seeds.

Second: Stepanka Haskovcova, Prague, Czech Republic.

• Waterfall
• Nízké Tatry, Slovakia, May 2023.
• Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ1000
• Exposure 1/1600sec at f6.3, ISO 125
• Editing: No manipulation performed

Lovely backlighting

Third: Janet Hails, Worcester, UK

• Iris bicapitata
• April 2023.
• Camera: Ricoh Pentax K-1 Mark II fitted with a Pentax 100 mm macro lens
• Editing: Original photograph modified using Photoshop Elements coloured pencil filter and also background removal.

Well separated subject and an interesting edge-finding effect.  The image needs to be brighter, but still worked.

Highly Commended: Hilary Birks, Norway

• Biarum cuddle
• Photographed in Anopoli, Crete.  October 2023
• Camera: Panasonic DC-TZ95D
• Exposure: 1/80 sec at f7.1, ISO 250

Highly Commended: Tony Duffey, Southport, UK

• Bluebell Impression
• Photographed April 2009
• Camera: Pentax K10D with 28mm lens
• Exposure: 1/125 sec at f6.7, ISO 200

Highly Commended: Hilary Birks, Norway

• Dracunculus vulgaris
• Photographed near Spili, Crete.  April 2023
• Camera: Panasonic DC-TZ95D
• Exposure: 1/800 sec at f4.0, ISO 80

Highly Commended: Roger Brownbridge, UK

• One way to summit Eiger
• Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland, July 2015
• Camera: Sony DSC-HX300 with 4.3-215mm lens
• Exposure: 1/2000sec at f4.5, ISO 80

Highly Commended: John Dower, Frodsham, UK.

• Room for one on the back
• Cyprus, June 2022
• Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ330
• Exposure 1/1000sec at f4, ISO 100

Highly Commended: John Dower, Frodsham, UK.

• Tears of Joy – Sedum annuum
• Photographer’s garden, September 2023
• Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ330
• Exposure 1/80sec at f2.8, ISO 100

This class is intended to celebrate the visual spectacle and impact that alpine plants can create.  We want to see spectacular panoramas of flowers, whether a carpet of a single species or a tapestry of different plants, colours and shapes.

The entries this year could be divided into two groups – wide views of massed flowers, and more intimate meadow close-ups.  Both fulfil the brief for the class.

First: Ursula Junker, Olten, Switzerland

• Narcissus radiiflorus
• Les Pléiades, Vaud, Switzerland. It is called by locals ‘Neige de Mai’ (May snow), May 2023
• Camera: Nikon D7500, with Nikkor 10-20 mm lens at 20 mm
• Exposure 1/400sec at f10, ISO 200.

What a fabulous display, well captured without burnt-out highlights, allowing your eye to wander through to the peaks beyond !  In this class the judges are looking for an image with ‘wow’, and this one certainly had it.

Second: Janet Hails, Worcester, UK

• Pindos flowers
• Pindos, Greece, June 2023
• Camera: Ricoh Pentax K-1 Mark II
• Exposure 1/160 sec at f32 ISO 800

A fabulous combination of colours and shapes

Third=: Bob Gibbons, Wimborne, Dorset, UK

• High flowery meadows dominated by coiled-beak lousewort ( Pedicularis contorta var. contorta)
• Mount Rainier, Cascade Mountains, Washington, USA, August 2008
• Camera Canon EOS 1Ds Mk III with EF17-40mm f4L lens at 24mm
• Exposure 1/40sec at f22, ISO 160.

A wonderful meadow of flowers.  The juxtaposition with the patch of snow is important, but some judges found the snow too dominant.

Third=: Janet Hails, Worcester, UK.

• N Peloponnese flowers
• N. Peloponnese, Greece, May 2023
• Camera: Ricoh Pentax K-1 Mark II
• Exposure 1/160sec at f14, ISO 320

Just needs a little more contrast to give it punch.

Highly Commended: Steve Clayton, Ripponden, UK

• Alpine meadow, French Alps.  June 2022
• Camera: Sony DSC-RX10M4 with 24-600mm lens at 65mm
• Exposure 1/500sec at f4.0, ISO 100.

Highly Commended: Ursula Junker, Olten, Switzerland.

• Leucojum vernum
• Photographed in Walterswil, Jura, Switzerland, February 2023.
• Camera: Nikon D7500, fitted with Nikkor 10-20 mm lens at 10 mm (equivalent 15mm)
• Exposure 1/60sec at f20.0, ISO 500

Highly Commended: Rosie Turner, Southport, UK

• Papaver rhoeas
• Photographed in Vercors, France, May 2023
• Camera: Motorola Moto G62 5G

Highly Commended: Oliver Cheney, London UK

• Ranunculus glacialis
• Photographed on the Col de Clapier, south of Mont Cenis, July 2020
• Apple iPhone 6s

Highly Commended: Steve Clarke, London, UK

Ranunculus glacialis with Saxifraga stellaris

Photographed June 2022.

Camera: Apple iPhone 12 Pro

Highly Commended: Stepanka Haskovcova, Prague, Czech Republic

• Soldanella pusilla
• No details

Thanks again to the judges, and of course all the exhibitors.  We hope this will inspire you to get outdoors and start taking photos for this year’s competition.