Continuing our showcase of local amateur photographic talent, we continued our photography competition this year. We were looking for 12 photographs to feature as the background for our website homepage.

The response to our invitation was terrific and the range of subjects, together with the skill and artistry shown, has been delightful.

Our May winner, Claire Reid, has submitted a capture of Bennachie - slightly unusual but beautifully striking. The combination of gentle rolling agricultural land, the almost leonine, recumbent form of the hills and the big sky, is one of the North East’s most striking landscapes.

Taken on a glorious day in Aberdeenshire, we thought this picture captured so many elements of what is good about our region; the natural beauty, the space and the big sky. We live in a beautiful country.

If you’re interested in learning more about each one of our images as part of our photography competition, take a look at one of our previous submissions previous submissions.