Breathtaking images from the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition

A set of four images by Russian photographer Oleg Ershov has been awarded first place in the International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2019 competition.

Oleg Ershov A photo showing a stone on an undulating ground — Fleswick Bay, England

Mr Ershov beat 3,400 rival entries by 840 photographers from around the world. His images, above and below, show landscapes in England and Iceland.

"My passion for landscape photography is based on a love of nature, especially in places where human intervention is not yet visible," he said.

Oleg Ershov An aerial view of natural patterns in soil — Blafellsa, Iceland

"Just being in location at dawn and watching the start of a new day gives me tremendous vitality."

Mr Ershov is an amateur photographer and funds his passion by working for a food distribution company.

He says his favourite destinations for shooting landscapes are Iceland, Scotland and the south-west of the US.

Oleg Ershov A landscape view of a mountain — Kerlingarfjoll, Iceland

"My interest in photography began in 2007 when I bought my first DSLR camera and signed up for a photo tour to the south-west USA.

"I was struck by the tremendous variety of landscapes, colours and textures found in nature."

Oleg Ershov A landscape of a valley and a river at Haifoss, Iceland — Haifoss, Iceland

French photographer Magali Chesnel won the competition for a single image, with her photo entitled The Harvest of Road Salt.

Her image, below, shows the Salin de l'ile Saint Martin; a saltworks in Gruissan, France.

Le Salin de l'Île Saint-Martin, Gruissan, France

Magali Chesnel An aerial view showing a saltworks in France — Le Salin de l'Île Saint-Martin, Gruissan, France

Here are other award winners:

Second place, single image: Sander Grefte, Netherlands

Sander Grefte A landscape view of mountains — Bonaire, Dutch Carribean

Third place, single image: Adam Hoszang, Hungary

Peter Adam Hoszang A view of sand dunes beneath a night sky — Sharqiya Sands Desert, Oman

The competition created special award categories, unique to this year's awards.

The Lone Tree Award: Anke Butawitsch, Germany

Anke Butawitsch A photo of an old tree in a green forest — Madeira, Portugal

The Heavenly Cloud Award: Brandon Yoshizawa, US

SpaceX rocket exhaust plume, Sierra Nevada, California, US

Brandon Yoshizawa Landscape view of the smoke plume of a rocket, above mountains — SpaceX rocket exhaust plume, Sierra Nevada, California, US

The Abstract Aerial Award: Ignacio Palacios, Australia

Ignacio Palacios An aerial view of coloured sand — Lencois Maranhenses, Brazil

The Wildlife in Landscape Award: Ricardo Da Cunha, Australia

Ricardo Da Cunha A landscape view of snow-covered mountains — West Mongolia

The Snow and Ice Award: Veselin Atanasov, Bulgaria

Veselin Atanasov A view of a snow-covered forest — Central Balkan, Bulgaria

The competition also produced a selection of the best 101 photo entries, including the images below.

North Cainevlle Mesa, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, US

Armand Sarlangue View of a mountain range — North Cainevlle Mesa, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, US

Greg Stokesbury A river in front of a snow-covered mountain — Sierras, California, US

Lincoln's Rock, Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia

Benjamin Maze A mountainous landscape with lightning in the background — Lincoln's Rock, Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia

Daniel Mirlea The side of a snow-covered mountain — Cozia National Park, Romania

Craig Bill A view of the side of rock formations, looking up at the sky — Page, Arizona, US

Helder Silva A snowy landscape — Yosemite National Park, California, US

Stanislao Basileo A view of a forest — Turin, Italy

Jaka Ivancic A snow-covered forest and a waterfall — Croatia

Pink Salt Lake, Kalbarri, Western Australia

Mat Beetson An aerial view of a lake and shore — Pink Salt Lake, Kalbarri, Western Australia

Patrick Hertzog A view over glaciers with the Northern Lights in the sky — Vatnajokull National Park, Iceland

More winning photos can be found on the competition website.