Ancient Civilizations

It can often be quite overwhelming when faced with a large site such as this, to know what to include in the shot, how close to get, what viewpoint to adopt etc. Added to that is the pressure of time you would no doubt have experienced here, as the light, especially at this time of day, will be changing by the second. I think it was a wise decision to take a reasonably wide shot, far enough out to give a sense of the scale of the site and a view of the landscape, but close enough in to see plenty of detail and identify different elements of the structures. The real beauty of this image is clearly the fabulous light, with the sun close to the horizon casting a gentle golden glow. Wonderfully captured scene, congratulations on your winning image.

A quite unusual view of the stones at Brodgar with the distant hill included, captured with the addition of some lovely colour toning, which really suits the subject and creates a stand-out shot. Well composed, with the horizon well down the frame, making the most of the beautiful sky. Many would be tempted to over-edit a sky like this which can lead to harsh tones and strong contrasts, but you have handled it well and the sky looks dramatic, yet beautifully soft and atmospheric. There is just enough light in the foreground to illuminate the stones and the ground, yet retain the mood. Congratulations on your second place finish.

The lighting you have captured is the key to the success of this image for me. The patch of light falling onto the relief carving seems to be revealing a secret and mysterious world, allowing us a brief glimpse into past times. Despite the deep shadow, we can still see detail across the frame, and you have avoided any temptaion to lift the shadow areas too far, which for me would have taken away some of that sense of mystery. Super image, well done on your top ten placing.

There were quite a few images entered of Cstlerigg stone circle, many showing completely different moods and perspectives according to the season, the time of day and the weather. I like this shot for the moody leaden sky, which enables the stones and the landscape to be nicely captured in a softer diffuse light. What I especially like here is the rich colours, with the contrast between the grey, the green and the pinky colours in the mid-distance hills. The three-shot panorama stitch has worked well, as we can see the entire ancient circle, but are still close enough in to see the details and textures on the stones. Lovely moody landscape, well done on your top ten placing.

This was a late addition to my top ten, but was an image I kept coming back to. Well focused on the eye of the statue, I like the semi-profile viewpoint you have chosen, and the use of a wide aperture has thrown the background nicely out of focus to make the subject stand out. The contrast in colours between the browns of the face and the aqua of the background is pleasing and harmonious. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

The use of a reasonably wide angle lens has allowed us to see the best of both worlds here - both the interior of the tomb, and the landscape in which it is located. Whilst small within the frame, you have managed to create a strong focal point of the stone with the spiral carving within the tomb, and I like the viewpoint which shows the narrow entrance at the top of the tomb. Nice tones and colouring across the shot, everything looks natural with no over-processing. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

This is a much wider view of Machu Pichu than more commonly seen, with the inclusion of the mountains giving a true sense of the spectacular location of this ancient site. Lighting is beautiful, with the warm light of the sun picking out the architecture, contrasting nicely with the cooler deep blues of the surrounding peaks. Everything looks well focused, with well balanced exposure. Being picky I may have been tempted to slightly reduce the brightness of the white patch in the sky on the far right, maybe even carefully patching in a light covering of cloud from the sky nearby to tone the brightness down a little. Still a spectacular image, well done on your top ten placing.

Of a number of images of Stonehenge entered in this contest, this is my favourite. It is a strong black and white image, with bold contrasts. I like the composition and framing, as there is just enough space around the stones to prevent them looking too cramped in the frame, but we are close enough in to feel we are there and can see plenty of detail. Some would be critical of the line of tourists in the background, but for me that does not detract from the image - they give a sense of scale and are a reality of this historical site. Great monochrome image, well done on your top ten placing.

I often have feelings of ambivalence when judging images captured by drone, and sometimes the unusual and often unseen viewpoint is the reason an image may stand out from many other entries, rather than being an especially strong image if the "wow-factor" of the viewpoint is ignored. Here however, I think the image you have captured shows something which cannot be appreciated from ground level, so there is purpose to the overhead viewpoint other than just being "different" for the sake of it. Even at this distance, you have captured amazing detail of the broch, and more importantly for me, the surrounding structures. It would have been easier to take a view closer in, but the added height adds to the story of the site. Being picky it may have made the shot even stronger to include more of the coast and a little of the sea beyond, to further show the location of the broch, maybe by stitching two images together. Still a great shot, well done on your top ten placing.

This is a well captured imaged, photographed in beautiful evening light bringing a lovely gentle warmth to the shot. The stonework reflects the light, giving a lovely golden hue. The sky contains interest, but looks natural and does not dominate the shot. The composition of the shot has been very well done, with the stone in the foreground providing interest, and balancing the main subject in the background. Congratulations on your third place finish.