Dark and Moody Landscapes

Many congratulations for this excellent image. This image is a perfect match for the contest theme as it is very dark and very moody, but in addition it has a very strong composition and has been processed in a very skilful way. The handling of the light is exceptional, the stronger blacks and whites drawing attention in a definite but subtle way to the main tree whiile the more muted highlights and shadows of the forest behind help the background to blend together and maintain a clear separation from the subject. I may be wrong but I guess this was shot in the middle of the day and would be the kind of scene that most photographers would walk right past (or through), well done for being the one who saw the potential. It is always especially impressive to see an image like this one because of how heavily the result relies on the vision and imagination of the photographer. Thank you for entering this in my contest.

Congratulations for this excellent image! There are many great things about this photo but I think the most important is the composition. The edge of the crater is a perfect leading line to pull you into the frame and shooting from close to the ground has made the most of the rich textures on the path. The light is handled very well, much of the frame is in shadow but the black point is set perfectly so that details are not lost in the darker areas. The colour palette is also very attractive and a great fit for the contest theme, it is almost but not quite a monochrome image and that adds a lot to the atmosphere of the scene. The final lesson to learn from this photo is that you do not need a fancy and expensive camera to make great images.... the back camera of an iPhone 6 seems to do just fine. Thank you for entering my contest, and well done.

Congratulations for this excellent image which somehow manages to give peaceful and unsettling feelings simultaneously. The strong and simple central framing of the derelict building and it's lonely tree companion works well in my opinion and although the subject is surrounded by basically "nothing much" there is plenty of interest in the small details and variations on the ground and in the sky. This windswept, desolate and bleak scene has been handled very well in any processing done on the image and the end result is a photo which provokes an emotional reaction in the viewer. Well done.

Thank you for entering this moody image in my contest. You have successfully captured the dismal, dingy colours and melancholic mood which is often prevalent in my beloved home country. There is a certain beauty in darkness which can sometimes be forgotten in the mass of vibrant and highly saturated images which surround us and this image is a great example. Although the image is dark, and many parts are in shadow, the luminosity is well handled and there is appropriate detail in the dark areas. The processing of the image has been done sensitively and delicately, something which is very important in this kind of image - it is easy to create a dark and moody image, but creating a dark and moody image with no unwanted processing side effects takes a good deal of skill and care. The framing is well chosen, particularly to ensure that the cottage at the foot of the mountain is visible. Well done.