Coasts and rivers

Milky Way shots are among the most technically challenging in all of landscape photography. This photographer has found an interesting composition on the coast, lined up the Milky Way to point towards the rock in the sea, and then captured the shot perfectly. Too long and the stars would move; too short and you wouldn't see the Milky Way at all. The post processing is very well done: just enough foreground is exposed, and the Milky Way has just a subtle hint of colour as it appears to the naked eye. Just wonderful.

As soon as I clapped eyes on this photo I thought this belongs in a fine art gallery. A super long exposure of several minutes, some very nice post processing and a fine choice of crop combine to form a stunning image.

This is a captivating black and white long exposure. I absolutely adore those jarring, leading lines zig zagging into the distance. At full resolution I found the image a little grainy despite being shot at ISO 100, which lets it down slightly. However it is a compositionally outstanding image and deserved its place on the commended list.

Fairy Glen is a location that has become something of a mecca for photographers. In fact I've visited here myself. However I'm yet to capture the lovely beams of sunlight entering the gorge as this photographer has done. So while I quietly seethe with envy, allow me to commend this wonderful image! All joking aside, this is an excellent combination of composition, long exposure, and tasteful post processing. A lovely mood.

This is a stunning, ultra-long exposure capture of Hamnøy, a village in the Lofoten Islands which featured repeatedly in this contest. You could imagine this image used by a tourist board or an airline magazine to promote the destination as it is so well executed and gives a great sense of place.

This is a fantastic capture of Hamnøy, a village in the Lofoten Islands which featured repeatedly in this contest. What set this one apart was the strong foreground and the portrait composition. You could imagine this in a magazine. Great job

Incredible colours here in this image of the famous Lone Tree of Llanberis. This is a frequently photographed location for us UK landscape photographers so it takes a truly special image to stand out - this one delivers with a classic composition and tasteful post processing.

What an astounding image this is, which conveys the power of the storm waves. Perfectly timed to capture mother nature at her fiercest here in Britain. Viewing this on my laptop with a cup of tea in hand is much better than braving the storm to capture this - kudos to the photographer.

Wow! Here's an image which has it all. Perfectly composed, superb golden lighting, and not just one rainbow but two! A moment in time I'm sure the photographer will never forget - how fortunate to be at the right place and right time

South Stack Lighthouse appears several times on my list of commended list for good reason - it's one of the very best seascape locations in Wales and probably Europe. This is my favourite of the lot though. This photographer has captured a rich, golden sunset happening behind stormy clouds, turbulent seas in the foreground, and the lighthouse well exposed between the two. Beautiful.

This is not an attractive scene at all, so why have I commended it? Because photography isn't just about postcard views and beauty, photography can be an important medium to communicate a message. Pollution is a blight on our rivers and coasts and we must all do our bit. Well done to the photographer taking a risk of entering this image.

An interesting experiment in long exposures and colour treatments here. I'd love to see the same principles applied to an image which better conveys a sense of place - though the description says this was taken at Kool Bay, nothing in the image gives me that visual cue. A fine abstract though.

Mother Nature's strength has been captured in crystal clarity here. This photographer has demonstrated good framing and the choice of quick shutter speed has frozen the wave crashing in mid air. By using a zoom you really feel close to the action, although I much prefer viewing a storm from my laptop screen! A spectacular image. Well done.

A few versions of this image were entered with different crops and colour treatments but for me this is the best of the bunch and deserves to be commended. An interesting combination of a sweeping foreground, the rock in the middle distance, and those moody clouds. I'm curious to know what post processing was involved with the clouds as they resemble a painting. Definitely an artistic work rather than documentary, but I appreciate the surreal mood the photographer has conveyed here.

Some fantastic light in this photo as the sun shines beneath some tempestuous clouds. Purely my taste, but I'd prefer to see a little less of the dark clouds and a bit more of that golden coastline - I imagine pointing the camera a little towards the bottom left of frame would have produced a stronger composition. However this is a very strong image which deserves to be commended. Well done

This photo from Sierra Leone is a timely reminder of human impact on our waterways. The composition lets it down a little as it's not immediately apparent where the eyes are meant to be drawn, but as a documentary image of how the scale of plastic pollution is affecting communities worldwide, it deserves its place on this contest's commended list.

This contest has been dominated by sweeping coastal views but this image immediately jumped out to me for exploring human interest in the context of the contest's theme. Everything about this is brimming with character, from the instantly recognisable painted houses of Burano, the cynical looking lady, and the pigeons pecking away oblivious to it all. An image that truly conveys a sense of place.