The 2017 Royal Photographic Society competition

  • Published
A portrait of LiamImage source, Margaret Mitchell
Image caption,

Margaret Mitchell won the gold award for her image of Liam, one of her sister's children, who is growing up in central Scotland. Curator Zelda Cheatle, who helped choose the winner, says: “Margaret Mitchell’s images are made from the heart. They speak of this modern world we live in, there is a sincerity and depth of emotion to this work that resonates long beyond the initial view.”

Image source, Owen Harvey
Image caption,

Owen Harvey's work often focuses on youth and subcultures. In this series, he follows a New York-based collective of low riders, who spend the evenings cruising around the city in their customised cars.

Image source, R J Kern
Image caption,

Standing against a backdrop installed at a Minnesota county fair, contestants pose for portraits alongside their entries for the animal competitions.

Image source, Wes Bell
Image caption,

"Three years ago, I was leaving for the airport after saying goodbye to my mother," says Wes Bell. "She was dying of cancer. On the long drive across the Alberta prairie, I found myself distracted by flapping remnants of plastic bags, caught in barbed wire fences." And so he began his project, Snag, documenting 50 such scenes.

Image source, Matthew Hamon
Image caption,

Matthew Hamon photographed the people he met along the waterways of Montana, USA. Here, Jessica stands in the water with her horse.

Image source, Jan Klos
Image caption,

Erik is captured in his vest by Jan Klos, who won last year's gold award for his portraiture.

Image source, Katinka Herbert
Image caption,

Katinka Herbert's portrait of Yoasan Guillen Roowork, a Cuban baseball player, is part of a series called Divided Lives. She attempts to show the disconnect between their success on the world stage and their everyday lives in Cuba.

Image source, Harry Borden
Image caption,

Harry Borden captures Doctor Who actor Peter Capaldi with his eyes shut in this monochrome portrait.

Image source, Andrew Urwin
Image caption,

Andrew Urwin's image sees the Maid of the Mist navigating its way through the thundering waves around Niagara Falls.

Image source, Ed Watts
Image caption,

Ed Watts's The Whippet with the Pearl Earring will also be on display. The winning entries can be seen at Photoblock, The Old Truman Brewery, London, 13-16 October.