Image caption,Complicated images that feature a number of light painting effects often require the picture to be created in sections and then joined together in post production
Festive decorations and Christmas cheer has been painted across sites in Essex – but visitors will only be able to discover them in a photograph.
Snowmen, Christmas trees, blue-hue pathways and baubles have all been created by light painter Kevin Jay and enjoyed by thousands across social media, with the images shared on Instagram.
Kevin Jay, 50, of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, uses a light source to “paint” the images and capture the work on his camera using a slow shutter speed.
“It’s an ideal form of photography at this time of year as there’s not much to shoot at night – you’re literally creating the image as there’s nothing there to start with apart from perhaps a local landmark,” he said.
Image caption,The Frinton beach image, a team effort by Kevin Jay, Nicki Jay and Terry Spires, features seven individual shots to create the finished picture
Mr Jay started light painting about four years ago when he wanted to do something with his photography skills after dark.
“As we shoot at night it’s rare people see what we’re doing but it’s really rewarding just to know people appreciate the final image,” said Mr Jay.
“The big Christmas tree on the beach was challenging as it involved three of us doing multiple things – I did the baubles and they each took about 30 seconds. It’s why the final image is made up of a number of shots as we just couldn’t run around quickly enough to do it all in one go.”
Image caption,The location of the light painting plays a big part in Kevin Jay’s work. Here he created a Christmas Tree bauble in Thetford Forest, Norfolk – a site that supplies Christmas trees
Although the images are planned, Mr Jay admits they can sometimes be more organic.
“It’s probably about a 50/50 mix,” he said. “There’s a plan, I’ve often got a rough sketch of my idea but then it goes in another direction during the creative process.”
Image caption,”This snowman is one of my most rewarding images as it’s so close to what I imagined,” said Mr Jay. “It was complicated as we had the umbrella hanging from a pole on a bit of string so we could spin the wire wool above it once I’d drawn the light snowman.”Image caption,Kevin Jay often works with friends to create his images – including this scene featuring fellow light photographer Terry Spires taken in BrightlingseaImage caption,Creating a scene is an important part of the process, here red and green lights were used to illuminate the surrounding trees to create a frame for the light-painted Christmas treeImage caption,Essex beaches are often used for Kevin Jay’s light paintings as the damp sand creates reflections of the work. This snow globe was formed on Frinton beach
Steve Liddiard has been named overall winner of the Historic Photographer of the Year Awards 2021, for his photo of the Whiteford Point Lighthouse in the Gower Peninsula, Wales.
“The lighthouse was built in 1865 to a design by John Bowen, of Llanelli, to mark the shoals of Whiteford Point, replacing an earlier piled structure of 1854, of which nothing remains,” explains Mr Liddiard.
“It is the only wave-swept cast iron tower of this size in Britain.”
Entries to the competition were judged on originality, composition and technical proficiency alongside the story behind the submission and its historical impact.
“The awards demonstrate the huge dedication that entrants often go to when trying to capture that perfect shot, whether rising in the dead of night to capture the perfect sunrise or climbing, hiking and trekking their way to discover far-flung places from our past,” said broadcaster and historian Dan Snow, who was a competition judge.
The Historic England category was won by Sam Binding’s view of the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol during a misty sunrise (below).
“I regularly take my dog for a walk at sunrise in Bristol,” said Mr Binding.
“The bridge acts as a gateway to the city, and mist adds a magic quality to an already stunning scene.”
The Where History Happened category went to Iain McCallum for his drone picture of the shipwrecks of the Wastdale H and Arkendale H, which tragically collided in the River Severn in October 1960 (below).
Here is a selection of shortlisted images from this year’s competition.
The Shambles, York, England, by David Oxtaby
Hereford Cathedral, England, by Jo Borzsony
Sunkenkirk, Lake District, England, by Matthew Turner
Remains of the Kingdom of Commagene, Mount Nemrut, Turkey, by Mehmet Masum Suer
Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany, by Michael Welch
Battersea Power Station, London, by Pete Edmunds
Corfe Castle, England, by Sam Binding
Bamburgh Castle, England, by Scott Antcliffe
Brewery Shaft, Nenthead Mines, England, by Tom McNally
The Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima, Japan, by Wayne Budge
1973 US Navy C-117D, in Iceland, by Yevhen Samuchenko
Spanish photographer Antonio Aragón Renuncio has won Environmental Photographer of the Year 2021 for his photo of a child sleeping inside a house destroyed by coastal erosion on Afiadenyigba beach in Ghana.
The image, entitled The Rising Tide Sons, highlights the rising sea levels in West African countries, which are forcing thousands of people to leave their homes.
Mr Renuncio receives £10,000 prize money.
The Environmental Photographer Of The Year competition, now in its 14th year, showcases some of the world’s most inspirational environmental photography.
The award celebrates humanity’s ability to survive and innovate and supports the calls to action in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The winners of this year’s competition were revealed at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
Here are other winning photos from the competition, with descriptions by the photographers.
Young Environmental Photographer of the Year: Inferno, by Amaan Ali, taken in Yamuna Ghat, New Delhi
“A boy fighting fires in a forest near his home in Yamuna Ghat, New Delhi, India.”
The Resilient Award: Survive for Alive, by Ashraful Islam, taken in Noakhali, Bangladesh
“Flocks of sheep search for grass amongst the cracked soil.
“Extreme droughts in Bangladesh have created hardships for all living beings.”
Sustainable Cities winner: Net-zero Transition – Photobioreactor, by Simone Tramonte, taken in Reykjanesbær, Iceland
“A photobioreactor at Algalif’s facilities in Reykjanesbaer, Iceland, produces sustainable astaxanthin using clean geothermal energy.
Climate Action winner: The Last Breath, by Kevin Ochieng Onyango, taken in Nairobi, Kenya
“A boy takes in air from the plant, with a sand storm brewing in the background, in an artistic impression of the changes to come.”
Water and Security winner: Green Barrier, by Sandipani Chattopadhyay, taken at Damodar river, West Bengal, India
“Irregular monsoon seasons and droughts cause algal bloom on the Damodar river, India.
“Algal blooms prevent light from penetrating the surface and prevent oxygen absorption by the organisms beneath, impacting human health and habitats in the area.”
Environments of the Future winner: Flood, by Michele Lapini, taken at River Panaro, Nonantola, Modena, Italy
“A house is submerged by the flooding of the River Panaro in the Po Valley due to heavy rainfall and melting snow.”
Here are some of the shortlisted images in the competition.
Fishing in River, by Ashraful Islam, taken in Sirajgong, Bangladesh
“Algae accumulates and fills the whole river, then many boatmen come here to fish in the water.
“The river is filled with green moss.”
Drying Incense, by Azim Khan Ronnie, taken in Hanoi, Vietnam
“Vietnamese workers sit, surrounded by thousands of incense sticks in Quang Phu Cau, a village in Hanoi, Vietnam, where the sticks have been traditionally made for hundreds of years.
“Incense plays an important role in the spiritual lives of Vietnamese people.”
The Nemo’s Garden, by Giacomo d’Orlando, taken in Noli, Italy
“The Nemo’s Garden represents an alternative system of agriculture especially dedicated to areas where environmental conditions make plant growth extremely difficult.
“This self-sustainable project aims at making underwater farming a viable eco-friendly solution to counteract the increasing climate-change pressures on our future.”
Environment Confined in Plastic, by Subrata Dey, taken in Chittagong, Bangladesh
“I captured this picture from a plastic-recycling factory in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
“Plastic recycling helps protect the environment from plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”
Clean Energy, by Pedro de Oliveira Simões Esteves, taken in Serra de São Macário, Portugal
“Wind-energy turbines, moments before the sun sets over the mountains on a cloudy day.”
The Polygonal Forest, by Roberto Bueno, taken in Sierra de Béjar, Salamanca, Spain
“A good management of forests is fundamental to contain climate change.
“This is a chestnut forest managed by wood owners in a sustainable way.
“They cut trees in polygonal areas and in the middle of them they leave smaller areas with trees that help the natural reforestation of the wood.”
We asked our readers to send in their best pictures on the theme “derelict”. Here are some of the pictures we received from around the world.
Image caption,Chris Bowman: “This boat has been a landmark on the North Devon coast for many years. Over time, storms and high seas have stripped her timbers and buried her deeper in the sands.”Image caption,Fran Powell: “This maybe more than derelict but it certainly fits the definition of the word. Derelict… ‘abandoned by the owner; failing to give proper care and attention.'”Image caption,Alysson Iceton: “Almost like a painting, faded paint, rot and vines define an old derelict barn.”Image caption,Oli Louch and Owen Copson sent in this picture of Dunstall Castle, near Worcester, lit up using a drone with an attached light.Image caption,Ladka Kurzrock: “I took this photo of myself and my dog as a reflection in a broken mirror. My dog discovered it and started to bark as she could see her own reflection.”Image caption,Charlie Curtis photographed an abandoned VW Beetle.Image caption,Therese Elaine: “The derelict West Pier in Brighton and Hove.”Image caption,Chris Fawcett: “When Albania retired its fleet of MiG and YAK aircraft it left them to rot on Kucova Airfield. These are some of the hundreds of aircraft sitting in their final resting place.”Image caption,Keely Pleger: “A classic car, abandoned in a field, enjoying yet another beautiful sunset.”Image caption,Amanda Thompson: “A long-abandoned fishing shack, slowly dissolving into the sea at Point Reyes, California.”Image caption,Jim Munday: “The remains of Steetley Pier near Hartlepool at sunset.”Image caption,Andrew Cade: “The derelict Maunsell Sea Forts, built as a defence during World War Two to protect the Thames Estuary area and London, now abandoned and rusting off the coast of Whitstable, stark reminder of another period.”Image caption,Vin Osbaldeston: “This is Toad Hall at Ainsdale, Southport. Once a thriving nightclub, it has been derelict for many years. Sefton Council commissioned award-winning street artist Paul Curtis to create this mural which features the locally found, but nationally rare, natterjack toad.”Image caption,Mike Ferguson: “A play on ‘raze to the ground’, this building is ‘Self Raising’ itself with neglect.”
Image caption,Amid a dispute over post-Brexit fishing rights, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets French President Emmanuel Macron as they arrive for day two of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP26 – in Glasgow.Image caption,Celebrations at Shivaji Park, in Mumbai, mark Diwali. A time for feasts, prayers and fireworks, Diwali is one of the most important festivals in the Hindu calendar.Image caption,Jockeys Declan McDonogh, Mark Enright and Dylan Browne McMonagle compete on the beach during the annual one-day Laytown races in the Republic of Ireland.Image caption,A family flee their flooded home following heavy rain in Bandung, Indonesia.Image caption,Labour MP Toby Perkins brandishes banknotes in the House of Commons during a row over the conduct of Conservative MP Owen Paterson. Mr Paterson, who has since resigned, was due to be suspended for breaking lobbying rules, until the government backed a shake-up of the standards watchdog instead – a decision that was reversed the following day.Image caption,An angler walks on concrete tetrapod wave breakers, whose shape helps dissipate the force of the water while remaining relatively stable, in Gangneung, South Korea.Image caption,A competitor is helped up by a member of Kenya’s National Youth Service during the Nairobi Marathon.Image caption,A giant inflatable rubber duck, designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, sits in a lake in Santiago, Chile, as part of an open-air art festival.Image caption,People sit at a cafe in a flooded St Mark’s Square during seasonal high tides in Venice.
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