An image capturing the power of Storm Ciarán unleashing its energy upon the Cobb in Lyme Regis has picked up an award.
James Loveridge, who grew up in Bridport, took the photograph at the Dorset landmark as the eye of the storm blew in over Lyme Regis last November.
The 33-year-old has been taking pictures of storms and rockfalls along the Jurassic coast for years, and after several years of winning in the climate change category, the semi-professional photographer has finally scooped the top award at the South West Coast Path Photographer of the Year 2023.
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He said: “I have won the Climate Change category previously with photos of storms on the Jurassic Coast where I live and thought this was my best capture yet and a unique one to be able to get an aerial image during such a powerful storm.
“It's great to have won the overall competition for the first time, so I thank the judges and feel lucky that I was in the right place at the right time and the conditions were right to get this photograph.”
James had to battle the elements to get the image, and initially he had not planned to use his drone to gather photos of the Cobb, but upon his arrival, he noticed conditions were calmer than he had expected.
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He added: “I was expecting to get soaked, I wasn’t planning a drone shot – when I stepped out of car though, I was in the eye of the storm and it was high tide, so I used the drone – I wanted to get a vertical shot like that.
“I have never taken a photo at that angle and I think it works well.”
The winning aerial photograph beat over 1,500 entries across the south west region, leaving a panel of three judges impressed with how it ‘clearly shows the force of nature’.
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Jessica Lennan, a judge and photography lecturer at the University of Plymouth, said: “The winning photograph impresses both in its beauty and in it its message.
"It clearly shows the force of nature, with the Cobb being blanketed by the white, churning sea. In contrast, dark and heavy clouds pass by, allowing only little light to come through, and reminding us of looming danger ahead.
“The South West Coast Path is unique but also vulnerable, especially to extreme weather conditions, which we have particularly experienced in the past 12 months.
"This image is an excellent example of how powerful photography can be in letting us stop in our tracks and raising awareness for what is happening now.”
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James is ‘absolutely keeping an eye on the weather’ as he looks for another photo to enter into next year’s competition, as well as to keep a record of the rockfalls which benefits the local authorities in monitoring the cliffs.
He added: "We're seeing increasing numbers of storms on the Jurassic Coast in recent years, which I document by getting videos and photographs of all of the major rockfalls in West Dorset and we often see the South West Coast Path having to be moved inland as a result."
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