Welsh photographer’s breathtaking shot in the running for prestigious award

Stephen Price

A Welsh photographer is in the running for a prestigious British Photography Award, after submitting a striking drone selfie taken above a black volcanic beach in Iceland.

Matt Price is a self-employed builder, living in rural Mid Wales with my wife Lauren and daughter Eira.

He’s passionate about photography, riding his bike and all things outdoors, and regularly posts on social media to his thousands of followers.

After a recent trip to Iceland, he submitted one of his standout shots to The British Photography Awards – titled Black Sand Selfie, a self-portrait with a difference taken at Vík, South Iceland.

Using his Dji mavic 3 classic, A day before he was set to enter The Rift gravel race in South Iceland he found himself with a day free, and went to the famous black sand beach with this exact photo in mind. He shared: “Calm waves and very little wind made this image possible as it is notorious for bad weather.”

After posting his remarkable shots online, Matt was encouraged to submit his shot to the British Photography Awards in a category that might surprise fans of his atmospheric photography – in the Self Portrait category.

While once looked down upon, the selfie has come a long way as evidenced by Mat’s shot – and standing out from the crowd of mirror shots and stretched-arm images is key to doing well in this emerging art form.

The British Photography Awards shares: “Despite not being offered, this category was much in demand last year – and we feel the emerging art form must be given its due.

“Despite many staunch traditionalists ignoring the cultural and sociological importance of The Selfie, the BPA team can’t wait to find their favourites.

“Fitness, Travel, Pets and Fashion are the Selfie’s bread and butter; but how can you make yours stand out from the crowd?”

Without a doubt, Mat’s shot certainly qualifies as a standout in that case.

Matt told Nation Cymru: I took this image the day before I did a 200km gravel race across The Highlands of Iceland. I had this picture in mind for a few months before I went to Iceland, the black volcanic beach, the bright orange jacket and the wild North Atlantic worked so well together.

“The shot went perfectly to plan,this beach is notorious for high winds and dangerous waves but i was very fortunate to be greeted with near perfect conditions!”

“Its a great feeling to be nominated (again) I won the 2022 peoples choice awards. The quality of the other images in the competition is very high and to be amongst them is a good feeling, I’m very passionate about photography and its so good to years of hard work slowly paying off.”

He shared: “I have lived in Mid Wales my whole life and count myself very lucky that I have the beautiful and varied landscapes of the welsh countryside on my doorstep.

“My passion for the outdoors has been with me from a young age and being able to combine this with my love of photography is something I will never take for granted. I love to explore new places, near and far.

“Travelling with my camera has helped me to have a different view of landscapes and has educated me so much about the planet and nature.”

British Photography Awards

The British Photography Awards was initially set-up with a grass roots model, open to all and with no membership fees or third party investment. The Awards did not have a publishing or hospitality parent company, we simply started reaching out to people; growing organically.

The Awards is fully staffed by volunteers, mostly British Photographers. Those involved split their time between managing the competition, our events, gathering community feedback and fielding press and photographer queries.

All the proceeds from the competition go to charity and we use corporate funding to provide their events schedule each year.

The public are asked to vote in certain categories, and Mat is hoping Wales (and the world) gets behind his submission.

Sharing the news of his award nomination, he wrote on Instagram: “I have been shortlisted in the British Photography Awards, I’d really appreciate your support, click the link here & hit vote. It takes 2 seconds, no need to sign in or register. Much appreciated.”

Vote for Mat to take home a British Photography Award here.

Follow Mat’s regular updates on Instagram, Facebook and his own photography website:

Instagram: matprice
Facebook: mat price photography
Website: www.matpricephotography.com

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