Photographers from all over Essex submitted their stunning images to the Essex Wildlife Trust photography competition last year, from vivid close-ups to serene landscapes, the Trust’s 2019 competition showcased the splendour of this diverse county.

The image that not only impressed the judges but won the public vote in January, was the impressive macro shot of a common darter dragonfly submitted to the ‘Pattern & Texture’ category by Andrew Neal.

Andrew Neal, the overall winner of the photography competition, said: "I took the winning photo during the summer along the Hythe Lagoons in Colchester. I caught sight of a common darter dragonfly perched on top of a small plant along the ditch and quickly grabbed my macro lens. Fortunately, due to the drop in temperature and time of day, the dragonfly was very cooperative, giving me the opportunity to compose the shot at the right angle so that a solitary buttercup on the ground below provided a nice splash of colour."

It was a record year for the charity’s annual competition; with over 500 images submitted, over 250 participants and over 1,500 public votes submitted to decide the overall winner.

Andrew continued: “I'm absolutely over the moon to have been voted the overall winner of the competition, particularly as there were so many striking images that won their respective categories. You only have to browse through the runners up and highly commended photos to see how high the standard was this year and any one of those images would have been an exceptionally worthy winner. To have won the overall vote on top of being selected by the judges as a category winner means a great deal.”

A huge thanks to ACL (Adult Community Learning), part of Essex County Council and the largest provider of adult learning courses in Essex, for sponsoring the competition for another year in a row.

The Essex Wildlife Trust Photography Competition 2020 opens in September.