Top Eight Garden Snaps of 2023
Posted on Feb 7, 2024
Winners crowned in IGPOTY 17
Kent-based photographer scoops top award amongst garden greats
The prestigious International Garden Photographer of the Year has announced its 2023 winners. Now in its 17th year, it attracted entries from across the globe.
Photographic submissions were invited across multiple categories, including: Abstract Views, Beautiful Gardens, Breathing Spaces, Plants & Planet, The Beauty of Plants, The World of Fungi, Trees, Woods & Forests, Wildflower Landscapes and Wildlife in The Garden.
Taking top honours for 2023 was England’s June Sharpe with her image ‘Birdscape’, which was also awarded first place in the Abstract Views category.
Taken with a Canon 5D Mark III and EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens, with basic image management undertaken in Adobe Photoshop, Sharpe explains that: “the layered branches of this conifer reminded me of the dancing cranes often featured in Japanese woodcuts.
In post processing I added a fill layer and used exclusion blending mode to alter the colours and enhance the feeling of movement and sense of the birds dancing in a fantasy woodland.
Being awarded the title of Overall Winner is an enormous and totally unexpected privilege.”
IGPOTY Head Judge Tyrone McGlinchey FLS FRSA enthuses: “When judging pictures we are hoping to be embraced and taken on a journey within a story; June’s picture delivers.”
View the top eight images (click to enlarge):
As well as being displayed here and receiving a £4K prize, the winning photo of this year’s competition and others will feature at the IGPOTY 17 flagship exhibition at Kew Gardens. This is now open to the public and runs until March 10th 2024.
Enter International Garden Photographer of the Year 2024
The IGPOTY 18 competition is open for entries with the closing date for most categories on 31 October. However, there are some categories that close sooner – see the website for more details.
Entry costs £16 for a single entry of up to 4 shots.
For the latest details regarding its 18th year, follow @igpoty on social media or head to igpoty.com.
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