The British Army has rarely been busier overseas or at home and each exercise and operation is skillfully captured by professional Army photographers which tell the story of the work being done every day by British soldiers.
This year’s Army Photographic Competition 2018 saw professional photographer Corporal Tom Evans taking the Photographer of the Year Award with his professional portfolio of images portraying military life during the past 12 months.
Tom, aged 33 from Newbury, Berkshire, said it had been an “amazing and very busy yearâ€, as he also scooped the Best Overall Image for a stunning photo entitled ‘Guardian Angel’.
“Being a photographer is the best job in the Army,†said Tom who is based in Brecon, Wales. “I get to see the whole Army, every trade and every cap badge and see them at work in so many exciting and varied places across the world. That gives us a unique perspective on it all.â€
First aid kit to camera kit
The Pro Story category was won by Corporal Becky Brown who captured the work of the Army medics and dentists treating communities in rural Kenya.
Becky, 27 from Beverley, North Yorkshire, who works at Army Headquarters in Andover, won both the Pro Story and Pro Portrait categories and also came a close second in the Pro-Soldiering category.
Describing her winning portrait, Becky, who also made it to the final 20 of the Ice Maidens, said: “I was on a deployment to Kabul on Op Toral with the combat camera team. Our job was to film and photograph different roles out there, and explain to the general public what our guys were doing out there.”
New categories
There were two new categories for 2018, Operation Smart Phone, which was won by Cpl Lee Matthews of the RAF, and Operation Camera, which was won by Sergeant Pete George, also of the RAF. Both categories were open to civilians and military personnel shooting photographs and video with an Army theme.
Command Master Photographer WO1 Will Craig said: “This year we have seen more than 1500 entries, the largest ever seen. There have been some great images. This year’s oldest entry was from a grandad aged 80 and the youngest was from a 12-year-old cadet.
“I wanted to open the photo competition up and give the general public and serving personnel an opportunity to film with their smart phone as long as it had an army theme.”
The winners were announced at a ceremony held at the Imperial War Museum, London, where a display of the winning images is being hosted.
WINNERS
Professional Category Portfolio: Corporal Tom Evans RLC
Overall Professional Army Image: Corporal Tom Evans RLC
Professional Category Portrait: Corporal Becky Brown RLC
Professional Category Story: Corporal Becky Brown RLC
Professional Category Soldiering: Sergeant Dek Traylor, RLC
Professional Category Sport/Adventure Training: Sergeant Paul Randall, RLC
Best Online Image (voted by the public): Corporal Amrit Thapa, Royal Gurkha Rifles
Op Camera: Sergeant Pete George, RAF
Op Smartphone: Corporal Lee Matthews, RAF
Video: Corporal Tim Jones, formerly RLC, now Fire Service
Social Media Video: Sergeant Jonathan van Zyl RLC
Cadet Life: Cadet Jasmine Roper, Scarborough ACF
Amateur Category Portfolio: Corporal Sam Jenkins
Amateur Category Portrait: Colour Sergeant Liam Swan
Amateur Category Sport/Adventure Training: Lance Corporal of Horse Adam Blackmore-Heal
Amateur Category Soldiering: Corporal Sam Jenkins
RUNNERS UP
Professional Category Portfolio: Sergeant Paul Randall RLC
Professional Category Portrait: Mr Mark Owens
Professional Category Story: Sergeant Donald Todd RLC
Professional Category Soldiering: Corporal Becky Brown RLC
Professional Category Sport/Adventure Training: Sergeant Jamie Peters RLC
Op Camera: Senior Aircraftsman (SAC) Amy Lupton, RAF
Amateur Category Portfolio: Adult Under Officer Kate Knight (LNR ACF)
Amateur Category Portrait: Adult Under Officer Kate Knight (LNR ACF)
Amateur Category Sport/Adventure Training: Corporal Jamie Hart
Amateur Category Soldiering: Trooper Tom Franks
Video: Sergeant Russ Nolan RLC
Social Media Video: Sergeant Jonathan van Zyl RLC
See What The RLC Has Been Up To
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