THE winner of this year’s Exmoor Society’s Alfred Vowles photographic competition to capture the essence of the moor ‘symbolises the hope for a better future,’ the judges announced this week.

‘Nurse Amy’ at Blagdon Cross 2020 by Robin Howe, depicted the night sky, an Exmoor signpost and the silhouette of a nurse.

Trustee Nigel Hester said: “It is relevant to the current time, encompassing nocturnal Exmoor, the dark sky reserve and the vital role of the NHS. In the context of these awful times with acute concern over the Covid-19 pandemic being uppermost, the photograph symbolises the hope for a better future.”

An Exmoor Society spokesperson added: “The judges were amazed with the number and high quality of the photographs entered, the range of subjects chosen and different perspectives explored.

“Popular subjects included coastal scenic views, moorland and woodland expanses with free-living Exmoor ponies, wildlife – particularly stags, birds, goats and even a hare. Landmarks, like Dunkery Beacon and Valley of Rocks, were also popular and farmland views, particularly with sheep in them.

“Surprisingly, there were very few photos including people, but interpretation of scenes such as those showing dramatic weather events.”

Five scenic views which included dramatic weather were highly commended: ‘Sunrise from Dunkery’ by Alex Jones; ‘Approaching Storm at Countisbury’ by Stewart Wallis; ‘Prayway Head near Blackpitts’ by Rosemary Barnes; ‘Rainbow over Porlock Weir’ by Helen Bennett; and ‘Sea Mist Through Trees’ by Jane Lovell.

“Alfred Vowles was born in 1882, and, as an early Exmoor photographer, devoted all his life until the late 1940s to taking photos of Exmoor’s landscapes, rural life and people, providing a valuable record of the times”, said chairman Rachel Thomas,

“We named this competition after him as Exmoor stimulates creative talents and encourages people to look more closely at it in order to capture its essence”.

The photos will be displayed at the Exmoor Society’s Resource Centre in Dulverton and on the Exmoor Society website.