Shortlist for LJ Ross' Northern Photography Prize announced

Michelle Williams' picture of a rainbow over beach huts on the Northumberland coast won the inaugural landscape prize

The shortlist for this year's Northern Photography Prize has been announced.

The award was set up in 2021 by crime writer LJ Ross to celebrate images of the North East of England, where she is based and sets most of her books.

A £1,000 prize is available in two categories, landscape and portrait.

The winner will be announced on 31 September with the entries on display at a free exhibition at the Biscuit Factory in Newcastle from 10 to 23 September.

The finalists in the landscape category are:

It's a swell day at Spittal Beach by Carol Reah from Berwick who said this "magical moment" was one of the first images she took after returning to photography following a permanent brain injury in 2018.

Looking Grim by Peter Baker from Royston in Hertfordshire who sought to take a picture of the Angel of the North from a different angle than might normally be seen.

Watching a Winter Sunrise at Sycamore Gap by Angus Reid from Hexham was one of several attempts the photographer made to catch a winter sunrise, with him finally striking lucky when two walkers unwittingly posed to make the perfect shot at about 09:00 BST on a November morning.

Early Birds of Lindisfarne by Jim Scott of Morpeth was a reward for the photographer's patience as, having seen the flock resting on the sand at Holy Island, he decided to wait a while for them all to take off again.

Autumn Sundown Alnmouth Harbour by Charles Hepplewhite from Gosforth was one of a series of images the photographer took while walking around Alnmouth one day in the "sea mist and failing sunlight".

The finalists in the portrait category are:

The Journey by David Coser from Hartlepool was influenced by artist David Hockney due to "the one-point perspective and simplicity", Mr Coser said, with the photographer wondering what the two friends were thinking as they looked out to sea.

Back on Track by Matthew Locke of Morpeth features the photographer's wife looking out of the window on a trip to Newcastle, with Mr Locke saying: "The fact we were moving towards the light she was looking at struck me as symbolic of how we hoped the future would transpire."

Eye Contact by Ian Bell of Killingworth in North Tyneside was taken at the viewing room of the Baltic arts centre in Gateshead which Mr Bell said was a "fascinating place for people watching".

A Special Helping Hand by Elisha Scott of Newcastle was taken on a cold January evening and features two people having fun at the foot of the Angel of the North while birds flew past making the moment "extra special".

All pictures are subject to copyright.