Light and darkness in the forest – discover the winners of Portugal’s photo contest

21 October 2020 Forests in photos

PEFC Portugal has presented the winners of its national photo contest, organized in collaboration with the Escola Profissional de Imagem (Professional Image School).

400 photographs entered the contest and gave the jury consisting of professional photographers a hard time choosing the three winners.

The winning images

First place went to Rui Neto for his photo ‘A luz do Douro’ (‘The light of the Douro’) showing a curtain of cypress trees along a road near the river Douro.

“A ray of light is never small. The light is great and shining in an extraordinary way, regardless of the way in which it manifests,” said the winning photographer.

Anabela Tavares came in second with her photo ‘Alegria’ (‘Joy’), taken in Sever do Vouga, Portugal. In her photo, the silhouettes of her children show the joy of a walk in the forest.

“On our walks, I always take my camera with me to capture the details that attract my attention, and of course my children who always go with us,” she explains.

“I took advantage of the moment when I saw their silhouettes in front of me and asked them to jump. The aim was to convey the children’s essence and joy in connection with nature.”

Third place went to Ricardo Ramos for the photo ‘Fuscos’ (‘Twilight’), taken in Serra da Padrela in Northern Portugal. The photo shows a young man in the forest, a sunbeam and a sprout of chestnut, an indigenous species in Portugal.

“I captured the first rays of the morning sun that came shyly through the dense forest. Not much effort is necessary to take a good photo here, as the light the colours do almost all the work.”

The prizes

For first place, Mr. Neto receives a Polaroid Snap Touch camera. Ms. Tavares wins a Polaroid Original One Step 2 and Mr. Ramos a Vimble Stabilizer for taking even better photos.