A huge thank you to all those who entered our Highlands - Scotland's Wild Heart Photography Competition. We were so impressed by the many beautiful and interesting shots of Scotland's landscapes and wildlife that were submitted. It was great to see that so many people have such a passion for this special place - and for capturing it on camera!
The Highlands team at Maramedia have really enjoyed looking through all the entries and it has been a difficult task to select just a few winners. The following shots really stood out as memorable and iconic images and we hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
OVERALL WINNER - JOHNNY FOY
OVERALL WINNER:
We are delighted to announce that our overall winner is Johnny Foy with his shot of a jaw-dropping sunset on Suilven, Assynt. We felt this picture really summed up Scotland’s wild heart and showcased the immense beauty and scale of the Scottish Highlands.
Johnny receives our first prize, kindly provided by VisitScotland, of two nights' stay in the Cairngorms National Park. He also wins a fantastic workshop exploring the local wildlife with photographer, guide and red squirrel mastermind, Neil McIntyre.
RUNNER UP - KEVEN LAW
RUNNER UP - JO McINTYRE
RUNNERS-UP
We are also pleased to announce our five runners-up - Keven Law, Jo McIntyre, Nick Mckeown, Annmarie Meredith and Gavin Ritchie. Along with our overall winner, each runner-up will each receive the series DVD and a copy of the accompanying book by Stephen Moss and Laurie Campbell, published by Bloomsbury.
We couldn’t resist Keven’s close-up of an grey seal pup in such stunning light - just adorable.
Jo’s photograph captured a brilliant piece of action and brought a smile to everyone’s face! We loved the humour in this shot as a mallard took on an osprey.
RUNNER UP - NICK MCKEOWN
RUNNER UP - ANNMARIE MEREDITH
Nick’s photo of a dipper in golden light really stood as an iconic shot of Scotland’s only aquatic songbird.
We felt Annmarie’s picture captured an intimate moment with the muted winter colours of the old heather against the red grouse’s plumage.
Gavin captured a stunning view of the loch and mountains with autumn mists and leaves on the turn – a very evocative picture.
RUNNER UP - GAVIN RITCHIE
If our stunning submissions have left you longing for a trip to the Highlands, you can find more information about visiting and exploring this very special place on the VisitScotland website.
For more inspiration and tips on taking wildlife shots, please check out our earlier blog with interviews from Neil McIntyre and Charlie Philips. We’re always keen to see and share beautiful and interesting images of wildlife and so, though the competition might be over, do keep tagging us on social media and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Thank you to Visit Scotland and Bloomsbury for kindly supporting this competition.