A SNOW-SWEPT image of the Jurassic Coast in Dorset has scooped the top prize in the Landscape Photographer of the Year awards.

The shot of a cold, calm sea sweeping up warm-coloured sand to snow-capped cliffs in the World Heritage Site was taken by Andy Farrer, from Dorset, who beat thousands of entries showcasing the UK landscape to win the overall title and £10,000.

 


Writing on his blog, he said: "Winning is a dream come true. I’ve entered each year since 2009 and, until receiving a commendation last year, never made it to the shortlist stage. Making it to the book was exciting and to have made it to the press release would have been incredible. Being honoured with the overall win is pure bucket list stuff. 

"Being from Dorset, it’s especially rewarding to have won with an image from one of the county’s most visited beaches and one I visit regularly. Dorset has its fair share of “honeypot” locations and, like it or loath it, they are iconic because of their natural beauty.

!When they are only a short drive away, it allows for one to be more picky with conditions than for those who have to come from further afield.  This view, which is an 180 degrees turn from Durdle Door, often plays poor cousin to the arch, but is nonetheless a super bit of The Jurassic Coast.
 
"It’s not often that you  see snow in South Dorset, especially on the beaches so  seeing snow forecast, it was naturally a time when I was keen to capture some unique images. I had to abandon the car half way up the hill from Lulworth to the Durdle Door campsite and then walk the rest of the way to the coast in the dark.

"The curved lines of sand revealed beneath the snow by the sea drew my attention, so I switched to my 50mm Zeiss, popped on a Lee 1.2ND to simplify the water and shot a series of images, this being my favourite."

Charlie Waite, landscape photographer and founder of the Take A View Landscape Photographer of the Year awards, said of the overall winner: ''Andy's winning photograph of this beautiful area of Dorset's Jurassic Coast is a gentle image with a simple, effective composition that reflects the mood of a cold winter's morning.

''It is believable and appealing, with the snow adding an interesting dimension to a classic scene.''

Andy, who was one of the original members of our Echo Year Flickr group, said he thought he was ''hearing things'' when he received the call that he was the winner.

Of his winning shot, he said: ''Snow this far south on the Jurassic Coast is a fairly uncommon event and it was not until February 2015 that I managed to reach some of my favourite parts of the coast when snow had fallen.

''As incredible as it was to see the arch of Durdle Door covered in snow, this view, looking in the opposite direction, was every bit as captivating. The encroaching tide, revealing the warm shingle beneath, provided an enjoyable distraction for a few minutes.''

Emmerdale actor Bill Ward was among the category winners for his close-up of a swirling stream in the Yorkshire Dales, while images of dry stone walls in the snow, a train heading over a dramatic viaduct and urban and rural landscapes were also winners.

Mairi Eyres, 17, from Oswestry, Shropshire, won the Young Landscape Photographer of the Year for a close-up shot of a daisy framed in a droplet of water, which the competition organisers said showed both photographic skill and ingenuity.

The awards are being held in association with VisitBritain for the second year, and a category for overseas entrants was won by Julian Elliot, who lives in France, for his image of a 17th century stone bridge at Llanwrst in North Wales.

VisitBritain's marketing director Joss Croft said the image ''captures the essence of the British countryside in all its glory''.

''The competition has again attracted an imaginative variety of entries that should make all Britons very proud of our distinctive countryside, and inspire even more international visitors to travel to all Britain's nations and regions in the future,'' he said.

The winning entries will be featured in a free exhibition on the Balcony at London Waterloo from November 23, on display stands and on the huge indoor screen above the concourse, and in the Landscape Photographer of the Year awards book.