Simon Hulme

Underwater or in the air, The Yorkshire Post’s Simon Hulme exemplifies how going the extra mile, or using an inventive approach, can pay dividends, as judges praised an excellent set of pictures that demonstrated a huge variety of different skills. 

The photographer was particularly inventive when capturing a Spitfire flying over York Minster. Hulme was given the opportunity to take the shot while flying in a Mustang adjacent to the plane, capturing the photo at the exact moment as it passed the landmark in the air. 

As part of a feature on the Bramley Mermaids, a group that attends synchronised water dance classes at the 100-year-old Bramley Baths, Hulme used a camera in an underwater bag, which he held at the water level. It meant that when Lucy Meredith swam past, he could create a remarkable atmosphere by combining the classic architecture of the baths with the whimsy of Lucy’s “mermaid tail” as she was caught mid-motion. 

Meanwhile, Hulme included a celebration of colour in his photo of a woman standing with a tartan umbrella in a field of yellow rapeseed while looking at a wind farm. Not only do the colours stand out against each other in the shot, but by capturing the sky turning from blue to cloudy, Hulme added an unmistakable sense of drama.