THE winner of the photography competition organised by Oxford Brookes University and the Oxford Mail has been revealed.

John Boteler, of Duns Tew, won with his striking picture of a traveller in her caravan at the Stowe Fair.

Oxford Mail:

The winning entry of a traveller in her caravan by John Boteler.

Runners-up in the contest, based around the theme “home” were Bharat Patel, from Headington, and Andrew Martin, who lives in Botley.

Oxford Mail:

The first runner-up featuring a Nomadic tribe by Bharat Patel.

More than 90 fantastic entries were sent to the Oxford Mail by readers for the competition, which was held as part of Photography Oxford, due to start tomorrow.

The festival will be the first international photography festival the city has hosted.

Entries were judged by our deputy picture editor Lucy Ford and Oxford Brookes University photography lecturer Gerard Hanson.

Oxford Mail:

The second runner-up of ladybirds, taken by Andrew Martin.

Miss Ford said: “When I saw Mr Boteler’s image, it stood out to me immediately as something that said ‘home’.

“The contrast of the woman in her vibrant red and turquoise caravan against the coldness of the dull grey sky and muddy fields is striking.

“It’s her shelter, warmth and place to have a cigarette away from the world. It’s a really great image.”

Mr Hanson added: “The picture captures the romantic elements of a very traditional space, one that is small and intimate with it’s inhabitant at one with her space.

“The submissions have included a wide range of interpretations, some ambiguous and challenging and some political, that question the very nature of what home might be.”

As his prize, Mr Boteler, 67, will receive a trophy and will be given the opportunity to join one of our professional photographers for a day of news shooting.

He said he had taken his winning picture while on a day out with the Oxford Photographic Society, which he has been a member of for 43 years.

The father-of-two said: “We go to the Stowe Fair every year and make a day of it.

“It was right at the end of the day and the woman was just having a smoke.

“I asked her if I could take a picture and at first she was going to pose, but I said ‘just carry on as you were. She looks very relaxed in the picture.”

Photography Oxford will open officially tomorrow and run until October 5.

The Oxford Mail’s sister paper The Oxford Times is the official media partner of the event, which will feature at least 30 leading photographers from around the globe.

They will exhibit work in some 20 venues across the city, including the Bodleian Library, the Story Museum, the North Wall Arts Centre, Modern Art Oxford and the O3 Gallery.

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