Beautiful evening shot taken from Weavers’ Way Norfolk by Gail Sparks.

The winning image in the Norfolk Trails’ Photographic Competition launched at the beginning of the summer is to be announced shortly.

The finalists have been selected, with the winner and second and third places being decided on the 14th October.

As the name suggests, keen amateur photographers walking Norfolk’s wonderful footpaths took the images; from coastal North Norfolk to the centre of the county, The Norfolk Broads and as far as the Norfolk Suffolk border.

Is photography art? I certainly think these photographs demonstrate that to be the case. A lot of thought has gone into making these pictures, with selection of the time of day, lighting and composition to the fore. The photographers’ technical skills are obvious, with some images being shot contre-jour – a technique that is very difficult to get right.

The judges of the competition are the chairman of Norfolk County Council, Brian Hannah, Nigel Pickover of the Eastern Daily Press, and Norfolk County Council’s Senior Trails Officer, David Yates.

Brian Hannah commented: “We’ve had some fantastically creative responses to the photo competition. The chosen finalists’ images have really captured the beauty of the county on the Norfolk Trails – it should make for a great final!”

To learn more about the competition and to vote for your personal favourite visit the Norfolk Trails website.