LoCAL PhotogRAPheR JoAnne eAstoPe AChieves International Acclaim

Joanne Eastope, a photographer from Quorn, is celebrating after receiving ‘The Natural World - Landscape Photographer of the Year’ award. The award is presented by the prestigious Societies of Photographers for taking part in their annual International Photographic Competition.

The Societies of Photographers are a group of organisations incorporating the interests of all aspects of photography and manage eight internationally recognised photographic organisations. The membership is open to full-time professional, semi-professional and serious enthusiasts.

The annual competition garners over 6,500 entries per year from the most talented of photographers from all around the world.

Joanne’s image of a mountain sunrise in Slovenia was awarded ‘Judges Choice’ in the annual competitions and then at the Societies Convention in London was awarded first place in ‘The Natural World – Landscapes’ category.

Earlier this year Joanne was also a nominee in the ‘Guild of Photographers Annual Image of the Year’ final, courtesy of a night sky image of the Milky Way over Tenerife’s alien mountain landscape, becoming a finalist out of around 12,000 entries.

To have an image recognised by either the Societies or the Guild in the monthly competitions is difficult enough, so to have two images selected as being one of the best in a category for an end of year final is without doubt an incredible achievement. To achieve a nomination by both organisations is a real achievement, particularly when you consider Joanne has a full time, completely unrelated, job and photography is a passion that she pursues in her spare time.

Joanne said “I love photography and put a lot of effort into developing my skills. One way I do that is to enter competitions. The standard of judging is extremely high and drives forward my photography skills month after month; it really helps me push myself. The images I see getting awards each month are inspirational, knowing just how high those standards are. I could hardly believe it when I was awarded the winning title.”

“This particular image was a taken in Slovenia, very early on a bitterly cold February morning. I clearly remember how cold and crisp the morning was. Just watching the sunlight start to slip over the landscape in front of me as the sun rose was mesmerising. Luckily, I remembered to press the shutter on my camera and achieved a final image that does justice to the beauty of the location.”

Joanne specialises in landscape and travel photography and also takes commissions for dog and horse portraits. For more details visit facebook.com/charnwoodphotography or email Joanne at info@charnwoodphoto.co.uk.