Chimneys

The first thing to catch my eye about this striking landscape image is the neat and intentional composition. The cliff cuts diagonally across the frame, from corner to corner, with the sea running pleasingly parallel to it. The engine house is positioned within the image following the rule of thirds, and captured at an angle where it easily displays its most attractive features. The editing is punchy and sharp, high in contrast and sharpening, pleasingly highlighting the natural textures of the grass and stone. The result is an attractive, visually striking landscape image that prominently features a chimney and is a joy to look at.

As I browsed through the entries, I was immediately struck by how different this image appears from the rest. Its elements look almost mismatched at first, but that's exactly where its charm lies. Paired with the thick, suggestive fog, the image takes a fantasy-like twist that is as unique as intriguing. The background of trees and chimneys, blurry and unclear because of the fog, is beautifully balanced out by the sharp boat and grass in the foreground. Lastly, the muted pastel colours, pleasing to look at, further reinforce the fantasy-like qualities of this truly interesting chimney shot.

There were several other images of birds on chimneys submitted to this contest, but this one easily stood out amongst the rest. Between the red chimneys and the snow, this shot gives a strong, enchantingChristmassy vibe. The long telephoto lens used by the photographer does an excellent job at increasing blur, to the point where even an aperture of 6.3 gifts us with beautifully shallow depth of field and soft, cotton-like snow flakes. This image, as technically successful as it is, wouldn't have been the same without the seagull, captured at an angle where its face is fully visible and its leg cutely tucked in. This photo pictures chimneys in an enchanting, fascinating way, and I love it for it.