Graham Watson’s Shortlist! 2016 Mark Gunter Photography of the year awards

The inaugural edition of the Mark Gunter Photographer of the Year awards has been an overwhelming success in attracting some of the best cycling photographers and photos in the world, and also raising money for three charitable causes: Oesophageal cancer research (thanks to…

January 13, 2017 Graham Watson

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The inaugural edition of the Mark Gunter Photographer of the Year awards has been an overwhelming success in attracting some of the best cycling photographers and photos in the world, and also raising money for three charitable causes: Oesophageal cancer research (thanks to Tour de Cure, our donation recipient), young athlete assistance, and into an education trust for Mark and Leeanne’s son Lucas who is two years old.

Entries are closed and our judges Graham Watson, Kristof Ramon, and Jered & Ashley Gruber have gone through the difficult task of shortlisting their top 10 favourite photos from each of the three categories.

The judges will deliberate on the top three winners of each category in the coming days and winners will be announced next week on January 20, 2017.

Here are Graham Watson’s shortlists:

I was astounded by the quality of the entire entry across all three categories, and I never imagined there would be so many great shots to work from. I sensed a collective will by both amateur and professional photographers to make this competition that much more special, to commemorate Mark Gunter the way he would have commemorated any one of us. I’ve enjoyed the entry and judging so much, and have actually gained some new ideas and inspiration for my own photography.

I seem to have been drawn by the scenery shots in all three categories, perhaps because our sport wouldn’t be as beautiful without seeing the landscapes we pass through. The smartphone category in particular lent itself to scenery photography, although I was so pleased to see a few clever action shots amongst those entries. Similarly, I was attracted by the more startling images – action shots mainly – that jumped out of the 300 or so entries we judged in each category. Beauty and action, this is what cycling is all about, in a sporting or leisure sense…”

I think as a judge I am looking for something out of the ordinary, something that catches my eye or my sense of perception. I look for that startling action shot, that carefully composed scenery shot, and that very rare ‘money’ shot that could be a crash, an emotional scenario, or simply a winning shot. Above all, I am looking for the image that tells me the photographer has thought an awful lot about what he or she is trying to capture.