The haunting black and white image, titled ‘Souls Tied’, shows two small birds flying together at the iconic Dark Hedges in County Antrim.
Northern Ireland provides the perfect canvas for photographers. With its rugged coastlines, scenic vistas, and rolling countryside, there is plenty to choose from to capture the perfect image.
Still, sometimes it is the small and simple details that make for the most striking images, as Northern Irish photographer Paul Killeen showed with his award-winning image.
The Northern Irish photographer took home the prestigious award for his image of the famous attraction, beating out over 1,600 competitors.
A striking image – the beauty of nature
The striking image shows two birds flying together at the iconic Dark Hedges in County Antrim, which is one of the best free things to do in Northern Ireland. A truly magical capture, we can see the emotion conveyed through the lens.
Paul took to Instagram to announce his success in the World Landscape Photographer contest on Sunday. He said, “Those that know me personally will know how much winning this competition means to me.
“They will know of my passion to continue making images to please me. For others to resonate with my work genuinely means so much. Thank you to @nigel.danson and the rest of the judges for choosing this as the winner of WLP 2022!”
The photographer from Northern Ireland competed against over 1,600 other photographers from 67 different countries to win the prestigious award for his beautiful image.
NI photographer wins prestigious award for image of famous attraction – a global photography contest
UK photographer Nigel Danson founded the World Landscape Photographer competition to celebrate the world’s best photographers while also raising money for charity.
This year, funds raised from the competition were donated to the British Red Cross Ukraine Appeal. An impressive figure of £16,000 was raised to help people affected by the crisis.
The Red Cross has been working to support people in Ukraine since the onset of the Russian invasion. So far, they have provided lifesaving aid to more than 2.1 million people.
A beautiful story behind the camera – a heartfelt image
The emotion conveyed through the image of the Dark Hedges is immediately clear to all who view it. This haunting feeling is part of the reason why the Northern Irish photographer won the prestigious award for his stunning image.
Taking to Instagram, Paul wrote, “Last year, a good friend of my wife’s sadly passed away. Lynsey was diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2015.
“When diagnosed, she was informed that she would be lucky to see Christmas that same year. However, Lynsey bravely battled the cancer for five and a half years before she passed on 11 April 2021.”
He explains he “made this image… on 14 April 2021, the morning of Lynsey’s funeral. As soon as I saw the two birds fly into my frame, I was immediately reminded of Lynsey and her husband, Simon. This is a very poignant and personal image.”
This breathtaking image was a deserving winner of the global award. So, we can’t wait to see the moments this talented photographer captures in the future. You can check out his website here.
