LEANNA Coles has been named overall winner of the prestigious Alfred Vowles Photographic Competition run by The Exmoor Society.

Her top-placed picture, ‘Seat with a View’, looking towards Cloutsham, was entered in the landscape category and Leanna also won the wildlife category with ‘Tippbarlake Exmoor pony herd gathering on Brendon Common’.

The two other categories – Exmoor activities and heritage buildings – were won by Madeline Taylor whose photographs were of the Allerford Forge and of the gated entrance to the Worth Combe toll road. The judges said they were images that “capture the spirit and history of the national park.”

Jill Edwards, trustee of The Exmoor Society, said: “The judges were impressed by the quality and wide range of subject matter in the four categories.

“They admitted that choosing winners was a difficult task, particularly in the landscape category, which has a large number of entries.

“The care and attention which the photographers had given to their work is to be applauded.”

Leanna’s ‘Seat with a View’ was praised for capturing a particularly vibrant Exmoor landscape with excellent lighting and detail, and a wonderful sky.

Her winning wildlife category entry was described as “a spectacular image of this iconic Exmoor event”.

Alfred Vowles was a well-known photographer at the beginning of the 20th century: “The Vowles family kindly donated the trophy to The Exmoor Society in Alfred’s memory, in order to help inspire future generations to capture the essence of Exmoor and its special qualities through photography,” said Exmoor Society chairman Rachel Thomas.

The winning photographs will be on display at the society’s headquarters at 34 High Street, Dulverton, and on its website. Other results are in this week’s Free Press.