Instagram Photo Chosen as Winner of UK Contest From Among 5,700 Entries

We can no longer ignore smartphones as legitimate photography gear. As smartphone cameras have gotten better we’ve seen everything from hipstamatic war photography to iPhone fashion shoots, and here comes yet another first.

Of 5,700 entries, Laura Elliot of County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland won first place at a recent National Trust photography competition with her photo taken using only an iPhone 4 and (what else?) Instagram.

Laura, a dental student who pursues photography as a hobby, took the winning shot in her parents’ garden, and was shocked as anybody to find out that she had won. The competition was centered around photographing and celebrating the “green spaces” in people’s lives, something she believes her stunning photo does very well:

I feel this photo represents my space, reflects my love for nature, photography and captures the spirit of the competition.

There’s no denying it, the composition really is phenomenal — and she wasn’t even using the newest generation iPhone camera. As a prize for claiming the top spot, she’ll receive a day of instruction with landscape photographer Charlie Waite, a free copy of one of his prints, and two nights accommodation in a National Trust holiday cottage. As for the rest of us, stories like this just make it that much harder to ignore the power of a smartphone camera and, of course, almighty Instagram.

Image credits: Photograph by Laura Elliot