A POWYS photographer is up against others from around the world for a major award, after capturing a selfie in front of a dramatic natural phenomenon.
Matthew Price from Walton, near Presteigne, used a drone to get a selfie with his wife of a rainbow bulls-eye pattern surrounding a brocken spectre.
He was on Hanter Hill in Powys, near the Herefordshire border at Kington, when they spotted the brocken spectre that their shadows were creating in the fog.
He said: “I thought flying the drone may create a different perspective.”
Brocken spectres are caused by the shadow of the observer projected onto the mist, often creating the illusion of huge, distant, ghostly figures.
In this photo the spectre is surrounded by a rainbow-coloured glory as different frequencies of light are reflected back to the camera at different angles by the water droplets in the mist.
Mr Price's picture is one of more than 3,000 entries to the The Royal Meteorological Society's 2023 Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year.
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Now in its eighth year, the competition is a window to the vastly different climates experienced across the world and provides an international platform to highlight global weather events.
Both amateur and professional snappers from 94 countries have shared their pictures and stories for the competition.
They include dramatic clouds over a volcano, lightning in Rio, and a misty sunrise by the Taj Mahal.
Looking like a scene from Mordor in Lord of the Rings, Chilean snapper Francisco Negroni camped out for ten days for this amazing shot of lenticular clouds surrounding the crater of the Villarrica volcano.
The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro is illuminated by a huge fork of lightning in this picture by Brazilian photographer Fernando Braga.
Calling his picture 'Divine Power ', he added: "This night was simply unforgettable for me. Like a dream come true.”
Another famous backdrop forms a much gentler picture of a misty sunrise at the Taj Mahal.
Snowy scenes were also popular entries with a very British one of snow covered beach huts by Owen Humphreys taken in Blyth, Northumberland.
And German snapper Christoph Schaarschmidt braved huge sub-zero temperatures to capture a frozen Fichtelberg Mountain in Saxony, Germany.
Dubbing his pic 'Incredible Ice Sculptures' he said: “It was not easy to photograph this landscape because it was about -14 degrees that evening, with strong winds.”
The organisers are now asking the public to vote until September 24 for their favourite shot from the shortlist that falls into camera and mobile phone categories. The winner will be announced on October 5.
Prof Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said: “In my eighth year of judging the Weather Photographer of the Year competition, the entrants never fail to astonish me.
"This year’s shortlist shows the world’s weather in all its variety, beauty, power and even its capacity to devastate."
To see the shortlisted images and vote for your favourite, visit: rmets.org/SCWPYvote
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