There are a few weeks left to enter the British Life Photography Awards, a visual celebration of life in Britain in all its richness and diversity. Entries are open to amateur and professional photographers of all ages, across ten categories such as British Weather, Urban Life and Brits on Holiday. The judges are looking for photographs that elevate the commonplace into something compelling, from intimate portraits to poignant or humorous moments.
Winners and commended entrants will have their work published in a book and exhibited at a number of venues including the Royal Albert Hall.There is also a £15,000 prize fund, with the overall winner receiving £7,000 in Sony products. Entries are open until midnight on Saturday 2 September 2017. See the awards website to find out how to enter. IBTimes UK presents a selection of entries from last year's awards.
PAUL ANTHONY WILSON, HIGHLY COMMENDED, BRITS ON HOLIDAY: Very Little Helps. Scarborough, North Yorkshire. 'A visit to the seaside can often be marred by the weather, some people however are determined to brave the elements.'PAUL ANTHONY WILSONJO TEASDALE, HIGHLY COMMENDED, STREET LIFE: Reflecting the Younger generation, Brighton, Sussex. 'These two young lads had come to Brighton for the first time to be a part of the Mod weekender. Mod culture is really big in Brighton and people travel from far and wide to be a part of the gatherings. I happened to be looking at the scooter when I noticed the boys’ reflection in one of the mirrors. Then the Mod in the blue suit walked past and I knew I had the picture I wanted.'JO TEASDALEMARK HARRISON, HIGHLY COMMENDED - RURAL LIFE: Best in show, Ewelme, Oxfordshire. 'Clearly the quite extraordinary cabbages could easily have been the subject of this picture but I wanted to try and capture something of the simple timeless tradition of the local horticultural show and the couple looking at the carrots under the bunting helped to do that for me.'MARK HARRISONFRED WILKINSON, HIGHLY COMMENDED, STREET LIFE: London. The image was captured from the glass atrium of St Martins in the Fields, London, as I was about to descend to the Crypt Café. The scenario seemed almost surreal – a half human half zebra figure walking an empty street, yet so close to the hustle and bustle of Trafalgar Square. For me, it demonstrates one of the fundamentals of street photography “always remain observant” (even when going for a coffee).'FRED WILKINSONSARA NICOMEDI, HIGHLY COMMENDED, STREET LIFE: Notting Hill Carnival, London. 'It was my second day in London and I was living close to Notting Hill. I didn’t know anything about this event but I heard the music from my room and so I went out with my camera to check what was going on. It was crazy out there. I stopped on someone’s door step and started to shoot from above. I saw this girl coming, I waited for her, took the shot and then went back to the crowed street.'SARA NICOMEDIDANIEL LEWIS, HIGHLY COMMENDED, PORTRAITURE: Jonathan Mercer, wood engraver Chiswick, London. 'Jonathan was a dream subject for me and my artist project. Not only does he have an amazing face, full of character, but his studio was a treasure trove of detailed trinkets that he, with his immense talent, had created by hand. He was a thoroughly lovely man too. Of all the portraits in the series his was the quickest to shoot, everything fell into place, taking a mere thirty minutes from start to finish.'DANIEL LEWISJO TEASDALE, HIGHLY COMMENDED, STREET LIFE: Lead On, Brighton, Sussex. 'This was taken before the Brighton Pride Parade started, on Hove Lawns Promenade. Everyone was getting ready and warming up before getting on their floats. It was a really big weekend in Brighton, celebrating 25 years of Pride, so everyone made a really huge effort and I thought these people looked amazing.'JO TEASDALENEIL PROCTOR, HIGHLY COMMENDED, STREET LIFE: Tweed Run. 'I had never heard of the Tweed Run until it was announced on BBC Radio London on the morning of the event. I dashed off to Trafalgar Square where I was met by a large informal gathering of tweed-clad vintage cyclists waiting for the off. Not a stitch of lycra in sight. This image was taken as they were about to depart. When this lady appeared with her Jack Russell in a pannier as a passenger, along with all the other participants scanning the traffic like expectant meerkats, the picture came together.'NEIL PROCTORNICK ISDEN, WINNER, URBAN LIFE: 'An early morning fog envelops Tower Bridge as commuters make their way to work in London.'NICK ISDENPAUL BERRIFF, RURAL LIFE: Amanda Owen, shepherdess. 'Yorkshire shepherdess Amanda Owen on the windswept moorland high above her farmhouse at Ravenseat in the Yorkshire Dales. Amanda was 8 months pregnant with her eighth child when I took this photograph. Apart from caring for her children, Amanda has almost 1,000 sheep to look after 24/7 every day of the year. I was captivated by Amanda’s love of life and her determination, which inspired me to take this photograph.'PAUL BERRIFFMAURIZIO MELOZZI, HIGHLY COMMENDED, PORTRAITURE: Portrait of Tiger Rose. 'The singer and performer Tiger Rose contacted me to do the portraits for her new music performance CD. We did these photographs inside a restaurant in the Brick Lane area. I used only the light available in the dining room, the ambient spotlight was perfect – it was like being in a theatre.' MAURIZIO MELOZZIANTHONY OLIVER, HIGHLY COMMENDED, BRITISH WEATHER: Salisbury Cathedral in the storm. 'This was taken during a night of severe thunderstorms across Southern England. Taken from my back bedroom it involved a bulb exposure and following the lightning to provide the necessary illumination to the image. The storm and subsequent image was taken on the night before my Father’s funeral and has a particular significance to me for this reason.'ANTHONY OLIVERJENNY LEWIS, HIGHLY COMMENDED, PORTRAITURE: Nicola and Jemima. 'This portrait was shot for ‘One Day Young’, a series of portraits of women taken within twenty four hours of the birth back in their own homes. A moment usually only seen by the family, caught in a family album, but I wanted to capture this strength and beauty of the women in their triumph over the challenges of birth.The series raises many questions on the subject of motherhood in art and aims to support and empower women. Over five years I shot 150 subjects.'JENNY LEWISCLAUDIA JANKE, WINNER, PORTRAITURE: George, Packington Square, Islington. 'George, 84, lived in this flat for forty two years, sharing with his sister Doris until she was moved into a care home. George has also moved as a result of a regeneration program. This image was part of an installation challenging common prejudices about people living on council estates, as well as exploring the sense of loss and gain that irreversible change brings with it.'CLAUDIA JANKEJACEK OBLOJ, HIGHLY COMMENDED, STREET LIFE: Ganesh Festival, Clacton on Sea. 'The annual event is organised by London Ganesh temple and attracts a large crowd of people from the south east of England. I captured a moment when the entertainer mixed with some local on-lookers. This is part of my ongoing project exploring multicultural London.'JACEK OBLOJSAM MELLISH, WINNER, STREET LIFE: East London street Art. 'I was out in East London documenting the streets. I stumbled across this team freshly designing a unique urban fresco. I really like the symmetry between the artists and the characters.'SAM MELLISHPAUL ANTHONY WILSON, HIGHLY COMMENDED, RURAL LIFE: Burning The Heather, North Yorkshire Moors. 'Travelling towards Middlesbrough on the North Yorkshire moors I noticed huge plumes of smoke billowing into the air, it turned out to be controlled heather burning. This stimulates new growth, providing good grazing for sheep and an ideal habitat for wild birds. I placed the 'beater' in the bottom corner to provide scale and show the enormity of the scene.'PAUL ANTHONY WILSONANDREW BAKER, BRITISH WEATHER : The Blues and Royals in the Snow. 'The Blues and Royals Household Cavalry changing the guard at House Guards Parade on a snowy Sunday morning.'ANDREW BAKERSTEVE MORGAN, WINNER - RURAL LIFE: Blown washing, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. 'Washing drying on a blustery day next to a croft on South Harris in the Outer Hebrides. After spotting it whilst driving along the Golden Road on the east coast of Harris, I jumped out of the car on the single track road to catch the backlit scene before the sun disappeared behind the clouds again.'STEVE MORGANOVERALL WINNER and BRITS ON HOLIDAY WINNER: ELENA MARIMON MUNOZ, Sunrise at Stonehenge during the summer solstice festival. 'By the time the sun started to rise above the stones hundreds, if not thousands, of people gathered inside the stone circle, phones and cameras up in the air. In the picture I wanted to capture the mixture of ancient history and modern technology, fused together past and present.'ELENA MARIMON MUNOZ, With thanks to English Heritage
