In reply to Eric9Points:
> If it weren't for the processing I wouldn't have been at all surprised if David Byrne hadn't seen the original image. Even then, removing the colour doesn't seem like a particularly imaginative thing to do if all you have to do is press a button in Photoshop to have a quick look at how it comes out.
Sorry to have to disagree on this one but B&W conversion is an integral part of both the creative element of photography and its history. So many of our greatest photographers of the past only experimented with the medium via B&W. So we have the choice with Photoshop, but in the past when using film I used 2 camera bodies (B&W & Chrome) for just such an eventuality. Not only that but when working with the image in PS lots of tweaks can influence the final rendition within the image. I often check the effect of different filters within PS to see the influence on both snow and clouds. OK in film times it meant physically changing the filter over the lens. Today it's mainly an UV or Pol that I place in front of the lens. In fact when I sold my film gear, I included about 60+ Cokin filters. Big mistake!
As we don't normally view what we shoot in B&W (unlike some other mammals) it is difficult to immediately assess the impact and potential of any B&W image until processed in PS, just like it did when the image first magically appears on the bromide paper in the darkroom.
As originally stated, my primary concern was with the evident plagerism found in the winning image. There is a lot that's good about the LPotY, it's British Landscape for a start. We certainly can't choose who the judges will be. THe comp has 2 sets of judging and Waite is not involved in the initial selection. All photos are awarded points and the best 170 or so make it into the book, with the top awards going to those with the most votes. There are about a dozen involved in the two rounds of selection & voting from a cross section of the media world.
Landscape is a very popular category in the UKC galleries and probably features more often in the PotW. Most of us undoubtably have some Landscape pictures on our walls. Obviously a true measure of any photographers worth or talent, relies on a body of work as evidenced by the Top ten galleries on this site. So perhaps judgement and award of such an esteemed title might be inappropriate for only a single image. Nearly every single outright winner on the LPotY has been controversial. But then again not as controversial as the 'Wolf Man' in the Wildlife PotY award a few years back!
Fortunately I think that most would agree that the top photos on UKC are top photos. Well they must be as you all voted for them!!