A photography student from Nottingham College has achieved national recognition for his artistic portrayal of an iconic Nottinghamshire landmark. Harvey Tomlinson, 22, won the architecture category at the British Photography Awards for his striking black-and-white image of a house positioned in front of the imposing cooling towers of the decommissioned Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station.
The talented student from Heanor, Derbyshire, didn't stop at just one victory. His photograph of a protester taken during demonstrations in Nottingham in May also earned him the people's choice award in the documentary section of the prestigious competition. Tomlinson expressed his disbelief and honor at receiving recognition for both of his submitted works.
"I couldn't believe I had two of my images shortlisted, and I definitely wasn't expecting to win," Tomlinson said. "I'm really pleased, because I've worked really hard to get myself into the position where I'm happy with my images, and it's my first time entering." He added that he had followed the British Photography Awards for years, considering them the "gold standard for photography" and often marveling at other photographers' work while hoping to reach that level someday.
Tomlinson's journey into photography began relatively recently during a family vacation to Anglesey in 2021, where he became "hooked" on capturing images. His award-winning shot of Ratcliffe's cooling towers was taken during his first visit to photograph the area, which he described as "such a dramatic landmark." The young photographer explained that he sought to present a unique perspective of the famous site.
"Typically when you see images [of Ratcliffe] they tend to include the river, or they tend to include the canal boats, the disused ones on the fields in front, or the road by the train station, but I personally had never seen anybody take a picture of the house [with] the scale of the power plant and the cooling towers," he explained. Tomlinson felt his composition created "quite an impactful image," with the black-and-white treatment working particularly well to convey an industrial atmosphere reminiscent of 1960s industrialized Britain.
Regarding his documentary award, Tomlinson described the experience of photographing at the Nottingham protest in May as "quite stressful," but noted that his award-winning shot "lined up perfectly" in front of him during the event. This recognition in the documentary category demonstrates his versatility as a photographer across different genres.
With the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station now decommissioned as the last operational coal power plant in Britain, Tomlinson expressed particular satisfaction at capturing this historic landmark before its eventual disappearance. While the complete site clearance won't occur until at least 2030, the student photographer, who is scheduled to complete his studies next year, sees both historical significance and future opportunity in documenting the transition.
"I think it's quite poignant that it was the last operational coal power plant to be decommissioned, and I definitely want to get more pictures of it," Tomlinson said. He expressed hope to capture "the same shot as the cooling towers are coming down if that's possible," potentially creating a powerful before-and-after documentation of this significant moment in British industrial history.
