Weather Photographer of the Year 2022: discover the photos awarded during the prestigious competition

Author: Clark Tos

2022-10-15 15:58:02

Dramatic waves crashing into a lighthouse have earned photographer Christopher Ison the title of Weather Photographer of the Year at the Royal Meteorological Society's annual competition. Organized in association with AccuWeather, the competition is a celebration of time in all its forms. Thus, the winning photos take us on a journey through freezing storms and amazing rainbows.

Crédit : Zhenhuan Zhou / Eris Pil

Christopher Ison's victory came after the judges sifted through entries from photographers from 119 countries and selected a shortlist of 22 images. But its photo stood out from the rest by showing the power of nature and emphasizing the dramatic movement and force of the sea, as well as the resistance offered by a man-made building. The shot shows the movement of the water and the timing of the shot is just perfect which earned him the award.

“When the storm was announced, and it was accompanied by the first ever red alert for the south coast, I knew I had to find a place to capture it because it was going to be huge. I arrived early enough to find many photographers already drenched in rain and seawater, standing very close to the harbor wall. I decided to go up high and move away a bit more. And finally, I was rewarded with a series of images that I am very proud of” he explains.

Breathtaking pictures

And he was not the only one to be rewarded on the occasion of the competition Weather Photographer of the Year 2022. Indeed, the work of Jamie Russell was also acclaimed by the members of the jury. The latter immortalized a calm moment in nature, gently and beautifully. His stunning photo of a double rainbow over the Isle of Wight, England, won the Audience Award. He notably beat out the other 22 shortlisted images after receiving nearly 5,500 votes for his impressive photography.

To take this photo, Jamie Russell really showed his commitment to his craft. As he arrived at the scene just after the showers had ended, he feared he would miss the opportunity to take the photo. So he ended up wading through waist-deep water to take the perfectly composed shot. In the end, his victory confirms that his intuition to do what it took to capture the moment was right. This is also the difference between a good photographer and a great photographer: knowing how to wait for the right moment and finding the right angle.

Here are the 8 shots awarded during the Weather Photographer of the Year 2022: