Couchman Hanson Solicitors are proud to announce the winners of the recent local photography competition.

The competition (which ran from June to 8 August) invited amateur photographers of all ages in the GU postcode area to send in photos celebrating the natural world on our doorstep.

The three overall winners were:

Herons at Shottermill Pond by Oli aged 8 (under 10’s category)

Woodland in Snow by Helena Livsey-Hammond (10-16 category)

Long-Tailed Tit by Mike Young (adult).

These three photos will take pride of place in the windows of the Couchman Hanson offices. The three winners will also have their photos professionally printed and framed and receive a voucher for Raymond Reid Photo in Haslemere.

The judges were overwhelmed by the level of interest in the competition and the exceptionally high standard of entries. This made the judging process much tougher than anticipated, resulting in an unprecedented decision to commend a number of other outstanding entries.

Highly commended in the 10-16 age category were photos of a cabbage white butterfly contrasted against purple flowers by 14 year old Angelique (the judges also loved her close-up of a bee feasting on a sugary treat) and a shot entitled The Pathway to Heather by 14 year old Halina, commended for its unusual and effective composition. The judges also wished to congratulate 11 year olds Orla who demonstrated ‘a good eye for a great photo’ and Lucy who managed to capture the rays of the evening sun.

Couchman Hanson representative, Alexandra Couchman said:

“We want to thank the team at Raymond Reid Photo and John Chappelow of Haslemere Camera Club for their time, dedication and excellent judging skills!  We’d also like to say a massive thank you to every entrant - there were so many great photos that we wish we could mention every one of them.  We are delighted that over the coming weeks we will be able to display some of our many favourites for all to see at offices on Charter Walk, Haslemere.”

Meanwhile, coming in a close joint second in the 16+ category were photos by Rosie Freeman (whose doleful fox snapped at Devil’s Punchbowl wowed the panel) and a very clever composed shot of a garden mouse in motion by Vidal Brownlee.  Also delighting the judges were two stunning shots by Jane Puttock (a dragonfly laying eggs and reflections at Wagonners Wells), a ‘very well seen’ image by John Gamble of a baby house sparrow being fed by a parent and finally a snake cleverly snapped by Ian Charman as it peeked through the undergrowth while he was gardening.  These were just some of the many, many photos submitted to the competition.