The sleeping labrador Dilly photo (that was shared over 23 million times to date) has been awarded SWNS Picture of the Year 2015. SWNS is the largest independent press agency in the UK, supplying up to 20% of daily print news.
This beautifully composed picture shot Villager Jim to fame after it “broke” the internet. Father of two Jim, from Derbyshire, didn’t want recognition for his talent but allowed SWNS to publish the photo in the national press. Jim is known as the ‘Banksy’ of the rural photography world as his identity is still a closely guarded secret.
Jim has put together an incredible collection of heartwarming countryside images into a book which showcases the rags to riches story of a photographer who went viral. The book features the best of the Derbyshire Peak District including landscapes, wildlife and country lanes.
Not only did Dilly break the internet, but the image received the most votes in the SWNS competition, which asks the public to vote for the single best photo from the SWNS picture editor’s 100 best picks from the year. Jim’s photographs have also won other awards and have appeared on the BBC’s Springwatch and Autumnwatch programmes. You can see more of Jim’s pictures here: http://www.villagerjim.com/
If you haven’t seen all of the entries to the Picture of the Year 2015 and want to see what The sleeping labrador Dilly was up against, you’ll find all of the picture editor’s choices here: http://images.swns.com/swns-picture-of-the-year-2015-vote-now
With 252 votes, SWNS staff photographers Tom Maddick scoops second place. Tom captured this magical image of a fallow deer roaming woodland at Wentworth Castle. The shot is taken from deep in the undergrowth at Wentworth Castle, Dodworth, Barnsley, where fallow deer roam free.
In third place with 173 votes was a Teddy bear pictured at Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall, Iceland. An amateur photographer took a string of stunning pictures of his teddy bear on holiday – after his wife refused to pose for the camera. Christian Kneidinger, 51, has captured the cuddly toy in exotic locations including Dubai and Mauritius. The father-of-two decided to put together an album last summer after he and his wife Ranati, 51, went on holiday to Iceland. This picture was chosen as the best by the SWNS picture editors and was entered into the competition.
If you have a photo or video that you would like to sell to the national press, you can contact SWNS here: http://images.swns.com/sell-a-photo-to-a-newspaper-or-magazine
