UKH

UKClimbing and UKHillwalking are proud to announce the category finalists for the 2023 The North Face Photography Awards.

Each of the photographs on the shortlist have been selected based on user voting throughout 2023. However, now that they are through to the finals the original votes have been wiped clean and it is up to you - and your votes - which goes on to win its respective category. Voting for Category Winners is open until 15th March.

Overall Winners - 1st, 2nd and 3rd place - will be selected by our judge Dave Parry.

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I would undoubtedly vote nearly everything in this stunning collection a 5. But if we are to separate from the excellent to the absolutely outstanding, then that requires me to rate these individual photos somewhere between 1 & 5. But congratulations to all the photographers first, and thanks for submitting their work for us to view and oggle at on UKC!

I agree, I couldn´t bring myself to give any of these amazing photos a 4. So I made it easy for myself and just gave one single photo in each category a 5.

Good luck to all you brilliant photographers!

Bangers. All of them. 

Mostly, but I'm finding the ghost figure in the Aurora photo a little bit weird and distracting.
(I'm sure others will find the whole photo a bit 'artificial', but that's another debate...).

My god, Dave Parry has got a difficult job here!

My favourite by far is the shot of Millennium Arch. It's a great perspective and a nice change from the wide angle lens-close up of climber shots that are everywhere.

The one of the black duffle bag is stunning.

I preferred the red one, but certainly more uplifting than most of the bouldering shots on here.

I’m guessing that the three ultra wide angle shots in the winter climbing section are taken on phones?

Only two, Deep Cut Chimney and Tower Cleft (if you click though to the photos you can see the details)

This provokes an interesting dilemma/conversation! Many of my favourite images (both of those that I've taken and those I've seen from other photographers) are the tighter more intimate shots (perhaps capturing a unique/interesting moment), or those from more unusual perspectives. But it's often the classic wide-angle shots showing off the scale and exposure of the route that tend to be more reliably well received, so those are the ones I tend to lean towards posting more regularly (both on here and social media etc). I'd imagine there's probably lots of other photographers who feel the same dilemma. Not trying to argue or anything, but it perhaps explains why you see more of those sort of images!

I really like Mike's shot of Millenium arch by the way, a very unique and incredible route captured brilliantly!

Guy Robertson summed it up brilliantly to me on a day out a few years back though. A great climbing shot should be able to make you feel like you’re the climber doing that move, or having that experience. It’s something that’s always stuck in the back of my mind when taking photos since. So many images in this competition gallery achieve that so well, which is a real testament to the standard of photos that get posted here!

Why? I would go with your gut and not worry about how well an image may be received. They're free to post up, no?

Can I suggest your void-sucking Hung Drawn & Quartered photo for that vibe??

Amazing photo, though as one of the comments suggests, the opportunity was missed to have the nearer guy side-on holding a gun.

I presume you referring to those ubiquitous shots of a huge chalky hand and forearm about to grasp a hold with a little grimacing face and tiny body somewhere inn the background! 

Interesting discussion anyway. I think the best climbing shots do show something of "the move" while at the same time showing the situation, exposure and so on (both conveying the sense of being there in the moment). Clearly a tricky balance but some of the shots here do it superbly well.

Overall, I think this year's climbing shots are generally of a great standard while I'm a bit underwhelmed by the others (obviously largely a matter of taste though).

Haha you’re totally right, and in an ideal world I would! As I’m becoming more confident in my own photography it’s something I’m trying to do more of (as in go with my gut and post more of the photos I personally like rather than the ones which I know might be more reliably well received). But I guess as a someone who does this for a living I feel really invested in what I do and care about the photos I take, and that naturally leads to caring about what others think about my work and how it gets received. I guess this is a fairly human response and most other photographers/filmmakers/creatives will feel the same. In a world where that kind of appraisal (and also critique) comes in the form of likes/comments on social media (and a scoring system on here for example), it (for better or worse) conditions you to post the images that you think will generally be more reliably well received.

I’m not in any way criticising the situation (I definitely wouldn’t have been able to make a career that I really love taking photos in the mountains without social media/UKC etc). Just providing a bit of personal insight and experience to answer your question.

I really enjoy the weekly photo comps and seeing the broad variety of great images both from ‘pro’ photographers alongside perhaps less polished but equally great photos that members of the climbing community have just taken on fun days out where they happen to have a camera with them and have caught a great moment. It’s something really unique and special about the photo comps on UKC.

I’ve generally not been posting as many photos on UKC as I used to, but I guess I’m now inspired/encouraged to go with my gut instinct and post a few more of the shots I personally really like that are perhaps a bit different!

Haha, I got to climb that route a year later and it did feel very void-sucking! Probably the best mixed route I've climbed in Scotland though!

I do sometimes find it hard to disassociate myself from the approval and likes, that is partly from having a commercial element  to my photography which requires a certain level of approval, but it definitely isn’t always healthy creatively or mentally. 

I have been thinking about this and my photography  and i think it is time to do a little project or two away from the judgment of social media and explore the elements that originally brought me into photography (I’ve even joined the RPS)

Some great pictures on here so good luck everyone.

There's just no need....

:P

You are right. It was childish. Apologies.

That's good

Thanks for the explanation though (just noticed it).

Turning like count off on Instagram is a great start to posting what you want. It's freeing.

It's the most magnificent piece of rock architecture ever climbed, or ever will be climbed, along with Es Pontas, there's no competition, or ever could be any competition,

it's not fair to use it to dismiss wide angle lens-close up of climber shots of more ordinary bits of rock though, there's two good aesthetic reasons for them, making them justifiably popular with the  pros on this site.