Image copyright SNS Image caption Lutha Blackhall won the 21st annual contest
A historical photographer from Derbyshire has won the 2021 winners of the The National University of Ireland’s Historic Photography Awards.
Lutha Blackhall, from Altrincham, won the 21st annual contest with her images of the Cooley Cree in Ireland, which she travelled to for the event.
Her images capture the importance of the fern to the western peoples, despite it being alien to them.
The judges were so impressed by her work that she was awarded the Outstanding Achievement award.
There were seven other winners in the seven categories that were adjudicated by judges including heritage commissioner Robert Richardson and photographer Brian Vincent.
Coely Cree Fermally – Northern Ireland
John Blackmore (Burntranny Castle, Somerset)
James Knox (Fields of Kieke in South Africa)
Niall McGaffey (Dixons Beck Woods in Dublin)
Virginia Nicoll (Arlesey Castle in Yorkshire)
Colin Seddon (Athlone Castle in Co Wexford)
Kim Chambers (Burntranny Castle, Somerset)
Lady Cummings (Athlone Castle, Somerset)
Prof Richardson said: “Lutha has managed to capture not only the powerful, effective and beautiful images but also the quiet and emotional key individuals who tell their stories.
“She has more than once captured complex and emotional and cultural stories in the time-consuming and sometimes mundane movements of natural process.”
The history photographer of the year award went to Barbara Tomlinson.
Image copyright Lutha Blackhall Image caption Blackhall took this image in Cooley in Ireland
The Creative Grand Prix, sponsored by Davenport Lyons, went to Brian Vincent.
One of the three judges, Sarah Speirs, said: “Brian has an outstanding photographic ability. I was in awe of his ability to use his photography skills to portray the feel of location and landscape. The final images were simply breathtaking.”
Image copyright Brian Vincent Image caption This was the winning entry in the Mooney and Ireland project category
Irene O’Donovan, landscape editor of Independent Newspapers said: “Irene has a truly unique approach to using digital in landscape or architecture. She brings the viewer the full effect of movement as she captures the way things appear from different perspectives. She does it in a subtle but powerful way.”
The final three entries for the Best in the School award are: