1 The Storm of Storr

Ben Kapur

Wins £2,000 cash | £500 Ffordes Photographic voucher | £300 worth of Kase Filters

I honestly cannot believe I have won Scotland's Photo of the Year, it was a very, wonderful shock to get on a Monday morning! Scotland is a place I absolutely adore, I have so many fond memories there; the people, the hospitality, the trips I’ve taken, friends made and now this! When I think back to taking the image ‘The Storm of Storr’, I stood there in the blizzard, faced with a sight I just had to capture, with only a few moments to do so. I remember thinking that I had perhaps taken something special, or at least something I certainly would always be proud of, with a fun story behind it. This is truly the proudest and most wonderful thing that has ever happened in my Landscape Photography Career!

Judges say
This image has so much atmosphere, we found ourselves lost in it. Being able to transport someone into a scene like this is a real art. Really beautiful conditions captured perfectly.

2 Raw Nature

Deryk Baumgaertner

Wins £500 cash | Olympus Tough TG-6 Camera | £100 Ffordes Photographic voucher

This photo was taken during a hike through the Glencoe area. We only found this photogenic spot by chance at one of the more popular tourist spots. The low-hanging clouds and the barren landscape with a wild river gave rise to an atmosphere which I think is uniquely Scottish - something which hopefully comes across in this image.

Judges say
This image hits all the marks when it comes to composition, depth and atmosphere. We really love the textures in the water and the overall colour grading. Classic Glencoe weather caught just right which evokes an unmistakable feeling of Scotland.

3 Invisible

Bianca Blonk

Wins £200 cash | £100 Ffordes Photographic voucher

The mountain hare has a brown coat in the summer and a white coat in the winter. This white coat makes him almost invisible to predators such as eagles and foxes. Because of the cold weather, he is not so active as he is in summer and I could approach closer by crawling in the snow. I laid there for an hour and watched him cleaning himself, eating a little and most of the time sleeping.

Judges say
An image that stood out straight away. We love the fact you can’t see most of the hare but the expression in its eyes says it all. A beautiful minimalist composition which is tack sharp and would have taken patience and experience to capture.

4 No Cold Calling

David Ball

Wins £50 cash

During a trip to Glencoe I was out for sunrise at this famous little hut which sits below Buachaille Etive Mòr. Suddenly the clouds broke and this beautiful soft light illuminated the Buachaille. With my camera on a tripod and my 24-105mm lens zoomed right in, I managed to capture this image which happens to be one of my all time favourites.

Judges say
A really beautiful take on this classic cottage scene. What made this stand out was how big David portrayed the relationship between the mountain and the cottage. And then there’s that beautiful soft light hitting the mountain. All very nicely edited with a light touch. Magical.

5 Road to Storr

Kerrin Lahr

Wins £50 cash

Moody clouds add drama to the roadside view of the Old Man of Storr in the distance. I took shots from a couple of locations along the road but when I got to this exact spot, my heart started pounding because I knew it was perfect. This was my first trip to Scotland but not my last. I found inspiration everywhere.

Judges say
Many images have been taken from here but this one is really well composed. We love how the eye follows the road, through the light and eventually to the Storr. Really great 3D effect with great depth!

6 The Broken Bridge

Steve Marson

Wins £50 cash

A magical autumn sunrise in Torridon of the kind photographers pray for… hoar frost on foliage, mist that slowly clears, and gentle morning light bathing the pastel autumnal colours. The ruins of this old bridge appeared from the clearing mist just as I was walking back to the car. I managed a couple of handheld frames in the few minutes that the light and mist were in perfect harmony and then the moment was lost.

Judges say
A really beautiful scene with strong leading lines and trees glowing in the light, then everything fading into the distant fog. The warm colours throughout are also juxtaposed with the cold frost. Stunning.

7 The Edinburgh Glow

Tim Hodges

Wins £50 cash

I took this in early December after a long day photographing around Edinburgh. The walk up above Salisbury Crags on tired legs seemed to take the last dregs of energy out of me, especially as there was a cold wind blowing. However, with the light draining from the sky and the lights coming on in the streets below, I realised this was going to be the best opportunity I’d had all day for a classic shot of Edinburgh.

Judges say
An image you could stare at for days and always see something new. We love the colours in this, with the warmer glow of the city fading slowly into the blues of the sky. You can even see out to the Forth bridges and Fife.

8 The Frozen Ridge

Jason Hudson

Wins £50 cash

En route to the Isle of Skye, I passed the Commando Monument near Spean Bridge. Looking over to Aonach Mor I could see some amazing light and clouds over a knife edge ridge. Strong winds were whipping the snow and it was a real ‘stop the car’ moment. I decided to shoot the scene with my infrared camera as I saw the shot as monochrome from the start.

Judges say
A really dramatic scene, framed just right. The fact it's in black and white gives it a raw feeling too. The ridge line creates a really nice leading line up to the dramatic clouds. You can almost hear the wind in this image.

9 Fish and Chicks

Frank Heumann

Wins £50 cash

Two chicks waited hungrily in the nest on the cliffs of Ben Tianavaig on the Isle of Skye while the mother went out for lunch. I was on a wildlife boat trip and had been hoping to get a shot like this. A cold winter morning provided the perfect conditions with soft morning sun lighting up the wings of the sea eagle.

Judges say
A dramatic shot caught at just the right moment. We love the angle this was taken at and also how the light is hitting the eagle just right, it really stands out against the blue background.

10 After The Storm

Stephen Dauris

Wins £50 cash

This was my first trip to Skye, and I experienced the anticipated mixed weather conditions, and this day was no different. I aimed to capture the full force and flow of the Sligachan River over the rocks while retaining some detail in the water. As the storm was receding towards the distant and imposing Cuillin mountains the sky cleared casting light to emphasise the autumnal colours and texture in the rocks.

Judges say
We just love the colours in this, with classic moody Scottish conditions portrayed just right. Great composition with the dark Cuillin looming in the background. It makes the viewer feel as though they are standing there.

Judge's Merit Award

Marcin Dobas

Wins £250 cash | £150 of Delkin memory cards

Judges say
An image that stood out to us straight away and made us think just how hard this must have been to capture. We love the colours in the water and the shutter speed used really captured the energy as it burst through the water. Scotland is home to the world's two largest gannet colonies (Bass Rock and St Kilda) and we all agreed it was well deserving of recognition and are pleased to give it our Judges Merit award.