Award-winning landscape photographs show fragility of the natural world

Jacopo Prisco
By Jacopo Prisco, CNN
3 minute read
Published 4:08 AM EST, Fri November 18, 2022
This photo is the joint winner in the "Photograph of the Year" category in the second annual Natural Landscape Photography Awards. It depicts the shadow cast by some peaks on the surface of the Lowell Glacier, in Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada. "It was taken on a July morning in 2022 from a Cessna 172 single-engine aircraft as part of a decades-long project on glaciers," says Canadian photographer Jim Lamont, who adds that the image is meant to highlight the destruction that will overwhelm humanity unless urgent action against climate change is taken.
This photo is the joint winner in the "Photograph of the Year" category in the second annual Natural Landscape Photography Awards. It depicts the shadow cast by some peaks on the surface of the Lowell Glacier, in Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada. "It was taken on a July morning in 2022 from a Cessna 172 single-engine aircraft as part of a decades-long project on glaciers," says Canadian photographer Jim Lamont, who adds that the image is meant to highlight the destruction that will overwhelm humanity unless urgent action against climate change is taken.
NLPA
Austrian photographer Philipp Jakesch took home the joint prize for "Photograph of the Year" with this image of a volcanic site on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland. "I was uncertain how it would be and how dangerous it was," he says. "Luckily we had good conditions and good filters to protect our lungs. The 1,100 degrees Celsius hot liquid earth is frozen in time. Even though my distance to the erupting volcano was about 500 meters, I could feel the radiating heat with every outbreak."
Austrian photographer Philipp Jakesch took home the joint prize for "Photograph of the Year" with this image of a volcanic site on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland. "I was uncertain how it would be and how dangerous it was," he says. "Luckily we had good conditions and good filters to protect our lungs. The 1,100 degrees Celsius hot liquid earth is frozen in time. Even though my distance to the erupting volcano was about 500 meters, I could feel the radiating heat with every outbreak."
NLPA
The prize for "Photographer of the Year" went to American Brent Clark, who submitted impressive shots of American wilderness, from a desert canyon in Utah to an alpine lake in Wyoming. In this image, titled "Amor Fati," light breaks through an out-of-frame mountain pass to illuminate one shapely section of sand dunes in California.
The prize for "Photographer of the Year" went to American Brent Clark, who submitted impressive shots of American wilderness, from a desert canyon in Utah to an alpine lake in Wyoming. In this image, titled "Amor Fati," light breaks through an out-of-frame mountain pass to illuminate one shapely section of sand dunes in California.
NLPA
Also by Brent Clark, this image from Wyoming is titled "The Elements," and shows fresh ice patterns reflecting early morning light on a mountainside. "What caught my attention with the NLPA was its esteemed judges and core values, rather than the prizes and recognition that come with winning," says Clark. "I felt like entering was to cast a vote for what I wanted to see more of in the landscape photography community -- natural and inspirational imagery, grounded in reality."
Also by Brent Clark, this image from Wyoming is titled "The Elements," and shows fresh ice patterns reflecting early morning light on a mountainside. "What caught my attention with the NLPA was its esteemed judges and core values, rather than the prizes and recognition that come with winning," says Clark. "I felt like entering was to cast a vote for what I wanted to see more of in the landscape photography community -- natural and inspirational imagery, grounded in reality."
NLPA
Romanian photographer Daniel Mîrlea won the "Project of the Year" category with "Forests," a set of images from the Carpathian Mountains. "It represents one of the country's natural treasuries, and even though some are parts of different natural parks, they are still endangered," he says.
Romanian photographer Daniel Mîrlea won the "Project of the Year" category with "Forests," a set of images from the Carpathian Mountains. "It represents one of the country's natural treasuries, and even though some are parts of different natural parks, they are still endangered," he says.
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Winner of the "Grand Scenic" category is American photographer Kevin Monahan: "For this backpacking trip in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, one of the photographs I was hoping for was of these mountains reflecting in a calm alpine lake. Throughout the evening and entire night these mountains were hidden and no pictures were taken, however during sunrise the clouds finally began to part, revealing these impressive peaks," he says.
Winner of the "Grand Scenic" category is American photographer Kevin Monahan: "For this backpacking trip in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, one of the photographs I was hoping for was of these mountains reflecting in a calm alpine lake. Throughout the evening and entire night these mountains were hidden and no pictures were taken, however during sunrise the clouds finally began to part, revealing these impressive peaks," he says.
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Andre Donawa won the "Seascapes" category with this image, titled "The Great Wave" and captured in Barbados.
Andre Donawa won the "Seascapes" category with this image, titled "The Great Wave" and captured in Barbados.
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Brian Pollock won the "Frozen Worlds" category with this image: "The last gasp of a short-lived winter in the Scottish Highlands let me photograph these coniferous Scots Pine trees. A short while later, the snow had melted and the Highlands had an unexpected early heatwave," he says.
Brian Pollock won the "Frozen Worlds" category with this image: "The last gasp of a short-lived winter in the Scottish Highlands let me photograph these coniferous Scots Pine trees. A short while later, the snow had melted and the Highlands had an unexpected early heatwave," he says.
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Taken in Pakistan, This shot by Matt Jackisch won the "Mountains" category: "I stood on the Baltoro Glacier in Northern Pakistan at the foot of legendary 8,000-meter mountains like Gasherbrum IV (7,925m), Broad Peak (8,051m) and none other than K2 (8,611m)," he says. "Full winter had set in and everything was white and blue. It was -20 C. Cold, windless, lifeless. The mountain seemed to roar in silence."
Taken in Pakistan, This shot by Matt Jackisch won the "Mountains" category: "I stood on the Baltoro Glacier in Northern Pakistan at the foot of legendary 8,000-meter mountains like Gasherbrum IV (7,925m), Broad Peak (8,051m) and none other than K2 (8,611m)," he says. "Full winter had set in and everything was white and blue. It was -20 C. Cold, windless, lifeless. The mountain seemed to roar in silence."
NLPA
Winning in the "Abstract & Details" category, this photo was taken at Gutharraguda/Shark Bay in Western Australia. Photographer Mieke Boynton titled it "Ocean Deity," as the sand seems to draw a face: "If you look closely, her eyes have been sewn shut by tire tracks," she says. "More than 6,000 marine turtles live in Gutharraguda/Shark Bay, including the globally endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). When people drive along the beach in 4WDs four-wheel drives, they put the lives of turtles at risk, as this is where they nest."
Winning in the "Abstract & Details" category, this photo was taken at Gutharraguda/Shark Bay in Western Australia. Photographer Mieke Boynton titled it "Ocean Deity," as the sand seems to draw a face: "If you look closely, her eyes have been sewn shut by tire tracks," she says. "More than 6,000 marine turtles live in Gutharraguda/Shark Bay, including the globally endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). When people drive along the beach in 4WDs four-wheel drives, they put the lives of turtles at risk, as this is where they nest."
NLPA
The "Project of the Year" runner-up, Luís Afonso, took this shot at the The Rio Tinto, in Andalucia, Spain. "Its red color is due to the strong presence of dissolved iron, accentuated by a large quantity of heavy materials present in its bed," he says. "It's not only to me that this place has a strong resemblance to the planet Mars. NASA's astro-biologists decided to study it to see if, in a similar environment, life would be possible in (should this be 'on'?) the red planet."
The "Project of the Year" runner-up, Luís Afonso, took this shot at the The Rio Tinto, in Andalucia, Spain. "Its red color is due to the strong presence of dissolved iron, accentuated by a large quantity of heavy materials present in its bed," he says. "It's not only to me that this place has a strong resemblance to the planet Mars. NASA's astro-biologists decided to study it to see if, in a similar environment, life would be possible in (should this be 'on'?) the red planet."
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Natural Landscape Photography Awards announces winners
CNN  — 

Orange lava shooting up from a volcanic vent in the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, and mountaintop shadows cast on a glacier in Yukon, Canada are among the winning subjects of the second annual Natural Landscape Photography Award.

The two shots, by Austrian photographer Philipp Jakesch and Canadian photographer Jim Lamont respectively, take home the joint prize in the “Photograph of the Year” category.

“With climate change the Lowell Glacier, like most glaciers in the world, is crumbling into ruin, its surface gradually disappearing beneath dirt and rubble as the ice melts,” says Lamont. “The image is intended to suggest the wave of destruction that will overwhelm us unless we stop dumping carbon into the atmosphere.”

Glaciers are melting much faster than expected, a 2021 study found. From 2000 to 2019, the melt rate accelerated from an estimated 36 centimeters per year to 69 centimeters per year. In turn, that glacier melt has contributed to an estimated 21% of sea level rise since 2000 – almost a quarter of an inch. The most rapid increase in melt took place in Alaska, western Canada and the United States.

The award for “Photographer of the Year,” which looks at a larger body of work, went to American Brent Clark, who submitted impressive shots of American wilderness, from a desert canyon in Utah to an alpine lake in Wyoming.

One of Brent Clark's images, showing sand dunes in California.
One of Brent Clark's images, showing sand dunes in California.
NLPA

The competition was started last year by four landscape photographers – Tim Parkin, Matt Payne, Rajesh Jyothiswaran and Alex Nail — based on a golden rule: that the integrity of the subject should be maintained.

Strict rules limit the amount of digital manipulation permissible on the images, and the judging panel must have access to the original raw files, to check for authenticity. “At the heart of it is a love of and respect for the landscape,” says Tim Parkin, one of the organizers. “One of the other goals is to be able to show people a range of amazing images in a way that they doesn’t make you immediately ask ‘Did you Photoshop that?’”

Among the forbidden techniques is combining two images of different focal length, distorting existing elements to make them appear more dramatic, or removing significant elements from the scene. Standard post-processing techniques, such as correcting exposure, color and contrast, as well as dust spot and flare corrections, are allowed.

“By constraining our photographs to represent the natural world in a truthful manner, we create trust in our artform’s unique position to pair real experiences with artistic creation,” says the competition’s website.

This year, 10,700 photographs were submitted to the competition from 55 countries by 1,179 photographers. They were judged by a panel of eight experts and photographers who awarded a total of $38,750 in prizes across two dozen categories.

Browse the gallery above to see more winners from the award.