Cheshire company's photography competition winner announced

Cartridge People, an office supplies retailer, launched the competition on August 1 to help promote World Photography Day on August 19.

The competition, which was part of their Memories campaign, was open for entries until August 29.

The winner of the 'Memories Through the Lens' competition was Mark Solon, who entered a photo of him and his brother taking an afternoon walk on the beach.

The judges of the competition, Cartridge People’s in-house photographer Ilias Kounenis and independent judge Sophie Hearts, chose the winner based on creativity and originality, relevance to the theme, technical quality, and emotional impact.

Mr Kounenis said: "I really liked the composition and the square format.

"To me it was a matter of soul exploration, human relationships, and self-reflection. The isolation of emotions."

Ms Hearts added: "This 'Memory Through The Lens' feels so familiar and could easily be a memory of mine or millions of other people.

"The layers of life happening in the image really drew me in, after looking at the characters carefully stepping on the foreground rocks.

"I found myself focusing on the silhouettes in the background, from the dog running around, to the child rock pooling.

"Whilst being beautifully shot, I love the photographer's decision to use square format and B&W, it creates a true timeless feeling and captures a moment in time that was gone in an instant.

"Considering the criteria further, this image had the most emotional impact on me, being someone who goes to the sea for solace, I found myself smiling, being reminded of all those days we spend on rainy, cold & windy beaches, forcing ourselves to enjoy it."

Mr Solon won a £200 Polaroid photography bundle to continue his passion, along with his winning photo being published on Cartridge People’s social media channels and blog.

Other entrants were also highlighted, with the team noting how difficult the judging period was and how beautiful many of the images were.