Sports Photographer of the Year - Results

[Marc]

We are proud to announce the results of the

2016 SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR





Congratulations to our Winner

@cannockwolf

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A brilliant action shot. The subjects have created their own dirt & dust filled backdrop which perfectly separates them from the rest of the environment. The shutter speed freezes the competitors but leaves in enough movement to leave you in no doubt that these guys are going for it. The composition is brilliant. You can clearly see all 4 competitors and the icing on the cake is the processing which has really made the colours pop. A cracking sports image.​

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Such a strong photograph with excellent processing, fast shutter speed and the vignette of the dirt and debris really focus the eye on the pair of riders battling for the lead, leaving the viewer with no doubt about the energy and competitiveness of the sport. A stand out shot that deserves first place.​

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This is a stunning capture of the battle of sport, and yet managing to remove the distractions of background thanks to flying mud & a shallow DoF combo; added to the drama of the event and its PP too, especially the heavy vignette drawing your attention directly to the action, and the great timing of capture what's not to like? Awesome​

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In 2nd Place is

@MattyW

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The composition in this image is fantastic. Everything about it works. There are numerous lead in lines provided by the curb, white line or dry lines on the track. Not that your eye needs much help to find the subject. I love they way the spray from the rear of the car has created a halo that highlights the car and separates it from the dark background. I can't decide whether the car is sat at an angle because of the banking of the circuit or whether it was the photographers choice to create the angle. Either way it works.​

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The Audi looks very menacing and almost like some beast with yellow eyes ready to attack. The red and white chevron edge create a great line for the viewer and allow the empty space to the right to focus the eye on the car and it’s planned path. A good example of all of the parts of the photograph working together to make a strong yet somewhat different sport shot.​

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A less dramatic image but one full of mood & even menace is the tale of the endurance car racer (if that's what he is) here. Captured at low light yet without overly blowing the headlights, and presumably a lot of PP burning away unnecessary detail on the right has given a superb image; I'm not normally a fan of odd angles but here it nicely compliments the lead-in of the circuit edge and adds to the overall enhanced effect​

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And in 3rd place is

@Dan Cooke

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Although you can't see the finish line this image clearly reflects the effort and pain that the athletes exhibit in the last half a second of a sprint. Had Philips eyes been closed this would have been a less satisfying image. But they aren't and it gives you a greater connection with her. The potentially distracting background has been well controlled by the photographer but not to the detriment of the other two competitors whos anguish can also be felt.​

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You can see the look of victory on Asha Philip’s face contrasting with the ongoing pain and effort of the other two runners. Here, the detail of their facial expressions, physique and energy comes together to make a strong image that tells a real story to the viewer.​

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By contrast to the other two where backgrounds and additional detail has been eliminated or significantly reduced this shot has all the background clear to be seen, yet OoF enough not to be distracting; so its placing the runners perfectly into their environment without letting that environment overpower them as the subject. This shot is all about the (winning?) girl's expression as she crosses the line. A powerful image showing the runner's almost masculine power too, yet nicely contrasting with her very feminine wellmanicured nails​

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[Marc]

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