Harvest Photography Competition 2021: Winner and runners-up

Norfolk farmer James Tallowin is the winner of Farmers Weekly’s Harvest Photography Competition 2021.

James took the stunning image (above) which appears on the cover of this week’s magazine at Willow Farm, Hickling.

“I’ve always enjoyed photography and have a DSLR camera, but this one was snapped with a smartphone – it surprised me how well it came out,” says James.

It was taken on the last day of harvest at the family farm, as Martin Gillingwater combined Costello winter wheat, with a Countryside Stewardship conservation strip in the foreground.

See also: Tips for better farm photography

“We’ve planted more sunflowers in the past couple of years because we get quite a bit of passing traffic and it’s amazing the number of people who have stopped and taken photos – so I looked at the combine and thought: I ought to take a picture,” explains James.

It’s been, he says, a “stop-start” harvest. “We’ve had average yields, a slightly later-than-usual finish, and it’s been frustrating because humidity levels have been high. But at least the prices are reasonable.

“The photo shows a field called The Bomb Hole, which got its name because a 2,000lb bomb exploded in it during the Second World War when a Liberator plane crashed into it.

“There’s still a bit of a dip in the field and the combine was just passing over that at the moment I took the photo.”

Here are a selection of the other pictures which also caught the FW judge’s eye. 

Lizzie Clark

Lizzie Clark titled this one “What’s that coming over the hill?” It shows William Clark finishing the wheat harvest in the glorious sunshine at the end of August at Abbey Farm, Perthshire.

© Lizzie Clark

Rachael Lea

“I’ve always found it kind of relaxing watching the combine emptying into the trailer, so thought it would be nice to pause it for a moment,” says Rachael Lea.

Jennifer Scott

Jennifer Scott says: “We are a father and daughter team from Goole, East Yorkshire. This is probably the last season our 1993 John Deere 1166 Hydro will be with us before we upgrade, so my dad wanted photos for future generations to see.”

© Jennifer Scott

Andrew Knaggs

Andrew Knaggs’s photo shows Carl Clayton cutting Gleam winter wheat in Yorkshire as the sun sets on the last day of harvest for 2021.

© Andrew Knaggs

Michael Olley

Michael Olley’s aerial image was taken at Tollesbury in Essex.

© Michael Olley

Kerensa Cobbledick

“I waited patiently to get this shot to make it look like the combine was coming out of the sea,” says Kerensa Cobbledick. It was captured in Cornwall.

© Kerensa Cobbledick

Kate Hingley

“Spot those bales” is what Kate Hingley calls this one. “With the barley baled safely, it was time for a bit of jumping fun at Hingleys of Lower Hollins Farm in north Worcestershire,” she says.