Dog Photographer of the Year Winners

The Kennel Club in London holds an annual photography competition that puts man's best friend front and center. Winners have been selected in ten categories.

Maria Davison from Portugal has been selected as the overall winner of the competition with an image of an adorable puppy resting his head, which was placed first in the ‘Man’s Best Friend’ category. Maria began taking photos of her dogs and other pets three years ago.

After finding out she had won the world’s largest canine photography competition, Maria said: “This image was already close to my heart and it is one of the photographs I am most proud of. It was not only a beautiful, real and candid moment I got to capture, but also a demonstration of the strong bond between one of my closest friends and her dog, Yzma. Winning not only the Man’s Best Friend category, but also the overall winner prize with this picture feels really good.”

Winners in the various categories come from all over the world. You can see the photos that topped each category here, and don't neglect to click through the "special mentions." -via Digg

(Image credit: Maria Davison Ramos)