RUNNER UP - 3rd Place, Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year

"Incredible ice sculptures' – that’s how photographer Christoph Schaarschmidt described his otherworldly view on Fichtelberg Mountain in Germany.

A number of factors conspired together to sculpt this scene: strong winds; over a metre of snow; and temperatures far below zero. The icy buildup in the landscape is actually a combination of snow and rime – ice that forms when supercooled water droplets in a fog freeze onto a surface.

Also essential to this landscape was the clear view – unusual on this mountain, which is often covered in thick fog – and the Fichtelberg meteorological station, which sits at an altitude of 1214 metres and has been measuring the weather since 1916.

Finally - and crucially - there was Christoph’s perseverance in capturing the photo in the first place:

“It was not easy to photograph this landscape because it was about -14 degrees that evening, with strong winds.”

Photo location: On the Fichtelberg in Saxony, Germany 

Photographer based: Chemnitz, Germany 

Camera: Canon EOS 6D II and the Sigma 14-24mm f2.8