Local man’s dream captured in iconic image

Iconic image of Monet’s garden taken by Colin Ellison

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Colin Ellison’s beautiful photograph was awarded the top prize in Viking River Cruises’ nationwide 2011 Photo Competition.

In October 2011, Viking River Cruises, invited its guests to enter its 2011 Photo Competition. The brief was simple: send us your best pictures taken in any one of the many destinations that Viking sails to. The response was astounding, with more than 800 inspiring images.

Rochdale man, Colin Ellison, was awarded first place with his hauntingly beautiful entry ‘Monet’s Garden’. The judges commented that the shot was barely distinguishable from the iconic image ‘Water-lily pond’ by Claude Monet.

Mr Ellison took the shot whilst travelling on the Paris and the Heart of Normandy cruise, which includes an excursion to the home and gardens of Claude Monet.

Along with £200 of Jessops vouchers, Mr Ellison’s photograph will be presented to Torstein Hagen, the Global Chairman of Viking River Cruises, to hang in his office.

Mr Ellison, said: “My wife and I enjoy cruises a lot due to the incredibly interesting scenery, places and guided tours. We were on a guided tour when I captured my winning shot; we were the first group to arrive at the garden so it meant I was able to capture the beauty and tranquillity of the garden.”

He added: “I am relatively new to the digital scope – it is something I tend to pick up and leave alone, so I am absolutely thrilled that my photo has won, I can’t wait to spend my vouchers.”

Viking River Cruise Managing Director, Wendy Atkin-Smith said: “I was captivated by the quality of the photos we received, all of the shots were truly beautiful and this competition gave us the chance to unearth some real gems."