Photography

Country Life's 10 most beautiful Instagram posts of 2020

14 adorable, breathtaking and funny pictures from the Close-Up Photographer of the Year 2020

From a friendly toad to an eel in a dark tropical sea to a group of funghi 'marching' along a tree trunk in Buckinghamshire, we take a look at the best images from the Close-Up Photographer of the Year competition.

The fascinating — and slightly creepy — winners of the first-ever Bug Photographer of the Year awards

James Fisher celebrates some of the finest images hailed by judges at the Luminar Bug Photography Awards.

Nine dazzlingly beautiful images from Landscape Photographer of the Year 2020

In Focus: The incomparable photography of Helmut Newton

Photographer Helmut Newton enjoyed a glittering career that blurred the lines between fashion, photography and art; as his centenary approaches he's celebrated in a new exhibition.

The thrilling, funny and scarcely believable stories behind the amazing photographs from the 2020 Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Cheddar Gorge and The Mendips AONB: The landscape that inspired ancient cave painters, William Blake and a thousand magnificent photographs

Local legend has it that Jesus Christ himself once walked the green hills of the Mendips — and while that tale pushes fantasy too far, this beautiful spot has been inspiring Mankind for 10,000 years.

How to turn a night-time walk into a chance to grab magnificent images of the night sky

August is a great month for amateur night stargazers: sunset is getting earlier, skies are darker, yet it's warm enough to stay out at night without freezing. And with a few bits of modern technology it's easy to capture beautiful Milky Way pictures as you're out and about.

Photographing the Ruvaal Lighthouse: How Country Life's photographer went the extra mile — or 175 miles — for the perfect image

Among the many beautiful features in Country Life's 29 July 2020 issue — guest edited by The Princess Royal — is the article about the garden at the astonishing Ruvaal lighthouse. Getting the pictures to illustrate it proved to be something of an epic for photographer Andrea Jones.

The Princess Royal at 70, and the stories behind the pictures to celebrate her life so far

We take a look at the images on the Country Life frontispiece page featuring The Princess Royal over the 70 years of her life.

VE Day in pictures: 14 powerful and evocative images that capture the joy of May 8, 1945

Country Life takes a look back at this day in history, 75 years ago, when the Second World War in Europe came to an end after six long, bloody years.

London has never been this quiet in 2,000 years — here's what it looks like, and what we can learn

In all of its 2,000-year history, it seems unlikely that the City of London has ever stood so silent as it does presently. Can we learn from the quiet, asks Architectural Editor John Goodall, who also took the photographs on this page.

The photographer walking 7,000 miles around the coast of Britain: 'After 450 days of walking I've not been bored once'

Quintin Lake has always loved walking, ever since trekking from Lands End to John O'Groats as a teenager. But his five-year epic journey around the coast of Britain has taken his love for getting out and about to a new level — as well as his love for our beautiful island.

11 breathtaking images of The Gower, the spot so magnificent it inspired the creation of Britain's Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Octavia Pollock takes a look at the magnificent Welsh coastal landscape of The Gower Peninsula, whose tales are as eye-opening as its beauty.

10 utterly glorious images from the South Downs National Park photography competition

An image of horses enjoying a peaceful stroll on the South Downs was voted the best picture in the national park's annual photography competition — but the others on the shortlist are just as worthy of celebration.

21 joyous pictures of Britain to raise your spirits on the first day of Spring

There's never been a more important time to get out into the countryside and smell the roses. Or watch the lambs. Or marvel at the views, and dozens of other things.

11 hauntingly beautiful pictures of dogs in cars from one of the most unusual and touching books of the year

A fascination with dogs and cars has prompted photographer Martin Usborne to produce a beautiful, unusual and gently haunting book.

The funny, dramatic and heart-rending stories behind the public's favourite pictures in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition

A pair of mice brawling like drunks outside a pub won the people's choice at the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year award.

16 absolutely stunning images from the 2020 British Photography Awards

Our picture editor Lucy Ford picks out some of the finest from among the 320 shortlisted images entered for the 2020 British Photography Awards.

In Focus: The scandalous child of Empire, the murderous photographer and the woman who fatally brought them together

Eadweard Muybridge was not only the pioneering photographer of motion, but also a murderer. Jason Goodwin relishes this tale of the dashing rogue and adventurer who became his victim.