The winning entries of the inaugural Young Railway Photographer of the Year competition have been on display at Locomotion, Shildon since June and the exhibition may be drawing to a close, but not before the museum hosts a ‘Meet the Winner’ event on Sunday 2 October.
In partnership with the Railway Photographic Society (RPS) who organised the competition, visitors to Locomotion will have the chance to hear from three of the winners in conversation with John Hillier from the RPS and to ask the photographers questions.
Bradley Langton, overall winner and 1st place in the 19—25 category, Sean Mattocks, 1st place in the under 19 category, and Gwion Clark, winner of the RPS Special Award, will feature from 2pm next to the exhibition in the museum’s Main Hall.
The free event has a limited capacity so visitors must pre-book a ticket to secure their space by visiting locomotion.org.uk/whats-on and following the ‘Meet the Winner’ link.
Some 150 photographers entered the competition with about 900 images being considered by the judging panel. The winners were announced by Sir Peter Hendy, Chair of Network Rail, at an event hosted at the National Railway Museum in February. After initially being on display in York, the exhibition moved to Shildon in June.
Competition organiser John Hillier, from the Railway Photographic Society, said: “The inaugural contest has been a huge success and it has been so wonderful to see such a high-quality selection of photographs on display at both the National Railway Museum and at Locomotion.
“This event will help people put faces to the names of the some of the winning photographers from the competition as well as allowing visitors to hear their story, in their own words, about the images they have taken and what their passions are.”
Bradley Langton from Driffield is a 21-year-old train presentation operative working for Northern Rail. He was crowned the overall winner of the competition thanks to his impressive, technically accomplished reflected view of an LNER Class 91 locomotive at London King’s Cross station.
Part of his prize was the opportunity to travel to Scotland and photograph the scenery from the top of the Forth Rail Bridge. The results of his trip will form part of the presentation at the event.
Ahead of the event, he commented: “As a result of my success in the recent competition, it has changed my entire outlook on what I do and why I do it. Previously I didn’t know the level my photography was truly at and the impact it had on people. Photographing from the top of the Forth Rail Bridge was an amazing experience and one I will never forget.”
Under 19 winner, Sean Mattocks, a volunteer on the East Lancashire Railway from Burnley, impressed the judging panel with a selection of images including three stunning shots of steam locomotives on journeys through the British countryside.
Bradley and Sean will be joined by Gwion Clark, a student at Newcastle University but originally from Conwy. Gwion is a volunteer at the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway and was crowned the winner of the RPS Special Award for his unique shots capturing true movement on the railways by blurring parts of his images.
You can find out more about this and other events at Locomotion by visiting locomotion.org.uk.
