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As from 1 September, the Park of Pena Riding Ring is hosting the “International Garden Photographer Of The Year” (IGPOTY) exhibition, the world’s largest display of photography focused on gardens, plants, flowers and botany, which remains on display until 25 November.
For the eighth consecutive year, Parques de Sintra is hosting an open air exhibition of the 39 award winning photographs, located for the first time this year in the Park of Pena Riding Ring, in the categories of “Wildflower Landscapes”, “Beautiful Gardens”, “The Beauty of Plants”, “Bountiful Earth”, “Trees, Woods and Forests”, “Breathing Spaces” and “Wildlife in the Garden”.
The photographs are presented on 1×1 metre panels placed on acacia supports with this wood sourced from trees that have fallen in the Sintra Hills and that Parques de Sintra makes use of for this purpose.
Among the pictures on display is the overall competition winner, Marcio Cabral, with his “Wildflower Escapes” category “Cerrado Sunrise” work inspired on the Paepalanthus chiquitensis, a special plant, endemic to South America but that grows primarily in the Cerrado region of Brazil. Despite this plant not being classified as at risk, the swift advance of monocultures in the region (such as soya) is already causing concern. “We urgently need to draw attention to these fascinating plants and take measures to preserve the unique beauty of the Cerrado ecosystem”, highlighted the Brazilian photographer, who specialises in photographing landscapes and subaquatic scenarios and ranks as one of the five best panoramic photographers in the world.
The exhibition also includes a work by the Portuguese photographer Inês Leonardo, “On Top of the World”, finalist in the “Wildlife in the Garden” category, taken while in the Serra da Arrábida Natural Park. “During a walk, a small butterfly landed on a flower in front of me and I slowly approached to take a photo. I chose this particular composition, when the butterfly was turned to the side but centred in terms of the flower, due to the sensation of balance it provides”, the photographer explained.
Submissions for the 12th edition are already open at https://igpoty.com/. This competition is open to all photographers, both professional and amateur and with the annual exhibition of the winning works inaugurated in Kew Gardens (United Kingdom) before subsequently going on tour to diverse locations, whether of cultural importance or iconic gardens, around the world. This exhibition takes place in the open air and is carefully integrated into the surrounding nature.
The IGPOTY competition was first launched in 2007 by five members of the Garden Photographers’ Association in the United Kingdom before going international in 2008, the year of the first exhibition held in the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew.
