13/12/11 - The winners of the annual Digital Camera Photographer of the Year competition have been announced, with a UK photographer scooping the prestigious ‘Digital Camera Photographer of the Year’ crown for “What We Are” – a powerful black and white portrait.
The annual Digital Camera Photographer of the Year competition is organised by Future’s award-winning Digital Camera. It is the leading contest for anyone with a passion for digital photography and is open to both amateur and professional photographers of any nationality.
Its aim is to reveal the most inspirational and imaginative images, with the overall winner receiving £1,000 in camera gear, a £1,500 cash prize and being declared Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2011.
Tens of thousands of photos were submitted from more than a hundred countries. Helping the Digital Camera magazine team choose from the thousands of images were a panel of judges including celebrated US nature photographer Art Wolfe, country legend and noted landscape photographer Kenny Rogers, explorer and adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, and 2010 Travel Photographer of the Year, Larry Louie.
‘What We Are’, the overall winning image was a black and white street portrait taken in Manchester by UK photographer Lee Jeffries on a Canon EOS 5D camera.
The judges said “Lee’s remarkable image is simultaneously moving and troubling. By peeling away the superficial veneer of modern British society, it forces the viewer to evaluate their own position in the social hierarchy of the age and confront some uncomfortable truths.”
On his win, Lee commented: “I’m incredibly honoured and surprised as the kind of shots I take don’t usually win competitions. I took this shot last November – I was walking around Manchester when I noticed something about this guy’s eyes. There was something wrong with them, obviously, but there was a quality about them too… I try to get an almost religious feel to my shots and I think it comes through in this image, with the way the light falls on his face. Anyway, winning this prize is a huge honour.”
Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2011 – Winners
Overall Winner (Portraits category): What We Are, Lee Jeffries, UK
Action and Movement: Flight, Arseniy Semyonov, Russia
Documentary: Fisherman’s wife, Buchachon Petthanya, Thailand
Creative Licence: Animaly 26, Krzystof Wladyka, Poland
Gardens and Plants: Autumn Interlude, Maria Kaimaki, Greece
Portraits: What We Are, Lee Jeffries, UK
Wildlife: Landing time, Mohd Nazri Sulaiman, Malaysia
Travel: Waiting for Mum, Karen Oliver, UK
Family and Friendship: Les Enfants Terribles, John Rux-Burton, UK
Fashion: Snow, Arseniy Semyonov, Russia
Landscapes: Symphony of a thousand, Kah Kit Yoong, Australia
Geoff Harris, Editor of Digital Camera magazine, and one of the judges said:
“Having been involved in this competition for several years, I can honestly say the standard this year was the highest ever – and further evidence that digital cameras have raised, rather than lowered, photographic standards. Photographer of the Year has also grown into a truly global event, attracting entrants from every corner of the globe.”
The full line-up of winning and shortlisted images can be seen in a digital gallery on the new website, http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/category/your-photos/ and there will be a full review of the winning images in the February issue of Digital Camera, on sale across the UK from 6th January 2012 with a cover price of £4.99.
ENDS
For further information:
Please contact Natalie Tidey, 020 7042 4034, or natalie.tidey@futurenet.com for more information on specific images, or any queries about usage.
About Future:
Future is a leader in the field of digital publishing and was named Consumer Digital Publisher of the Year at the annual Association of Online Publishers Awards – becoming the first magazine publisher to win the Award. Future also won the Grand Prix Award at the event in June. Its web and mobile sites deliver 160 million page impressions every month to over 34 million unique users*. Future delivers more than 100 digital editions and bespoke apps through the rapidly growing iPad platform and is developing product for new tablet devices coming on stream. Digital now accounts for a third of all Future’s commercial revenues. And its development of video on demand and apps is rightly regarded as market leading. Technology brand T3 is leading the way on iPad, becoming one of the top grossing apps in the UK and one of the very few five star apps in the world. The Future digital portfolio includes award winning and hugely respected brands including: www.techradar.com, www.cyclingnews.com, www.gamesradar.com, www.computerandvideogames.com, www.musicradar.com and www.bikeradar.com.
* source: comScore Digital Analytix, November 2011
