The winners of the third Irish Times Amateur Photographer of the Year competition have been presented with their prizes in The Irish Times offices in Dublin.
Celebrating the work of keen photographers throughout Ireland, the contest was open to all amateurs, from dedicated hobbyists to casual smartphone snappers.
Some 1,000 photographers entered more than 7,000 photos in the competition. Selected entries were showcased on The Irish Times website in the run-up to the awards and galleries can be viewed online at irishtimes.com/photography.
Original
There were seven categories – colour, monochrome, open, travel, nature, portraiture and street – with prizes of €1,000 for the overall Photographer of the Year and €1,000 for the best photograph.
"We were looking for fresh, original and outside-of-the-box photos, photos we haven't seen before or a different angle of what we have seen," said Frank Miller, an Irish Times picture editor and photographer, and chairman of the 10-person judging panel.
“We wanted to recognise the great depth of talent among the amateur photographer community. The standard was extremely high and it was an arduous but fair process choosing the winners.”
Winner of the overall Amateur Photographer of the Year title was Danielle Houghton from Blackrock, Co Dublin, who carried off the top title for her portfolio of street photography images.
Miller said the judges were impressed with her original style, her eye for the slightly surreal or humorous and her ability to find the extraordinary in everyday life.
One amateur photographer, Lexi Novitski, won three prizes: portrait, travel and photograph of the year. Based in the United States, she travelled to Siberia and lived with the nomadic Nenet people for a week which is where she got the inspiration for her winning photos.
The winner of the People’s Choice Prize, sponsored by Bermingham Cameras, was Rachel McGarry from Birr, Co Offaly, who won the popular vote with her double-exposure portrait of a young girl.