Landscapes #485

A stunning part of the world, and doubtless on the bucket list of a few photographers in the Photocrowd community and elsewhere. I'm guessing that the framing of the shot is pretty obvious, so then the photographer's attention lands on the weather and lighting. In this case it's a nice bright day, the landscape is shown off to good effect, and the blue sky provides a nice backdrop to the rock. The lack of full shadow on the foreground is the biggest issue here, and those bright spots are an unwelcome distraction from the main view. They could be handled in Photoshop without too much trouble, and would strengthen the shot.

A fascinating shot of Mount Denali, set within a wider context than a lot of the shots you see of it. It's a nicely balanced shot, in terms both of the composition and the lighting. There's a real contrast between the blues of the peaks, and the purples of the lowlands. It is a shame that the peak itself is shrouded, but there are some things we can't do much about!

Let's hear it for gloomy landscapes! We don't see enough of them in my opinion, far too much importance placed on a blue sky. And this one's shot a few miles from my boyhood home, although I've tried to remain objective... This is practically a silhouette shot of this farmhouse and trees, and perfectly conveys that sense of isolation and winter gloom that you imagine the occupants must feel on occasion. There is detail in the darkest shadows of the farmhouse, and as the photographer notes, it would have been tempting to push the shadows higher, but something would doubtless have been lost. A good image for 2020.

A very attractive coastal sunset, and the photographer has done well to show restraint in how they've handled the colours of the sunset, which retains a realistic yet still impressive feel. The rocks in the foreground help to create a scene that has real depth. In an ideal world the character on the right would be removed, so as not to distract our eye from the sunset and distant skyline.

Rounding out my Top 10, this shot makes it in on account of the wonderful star burst effect of the sun bursting through the clouds and splashing onto the Yorkshire Dales. It is sadly on a bit of a tilt, with the left hand horizon somewhat lower than the right, which is a pre-requisite of good landscape photography, and the characters in the bottom left are probably a little too dark, and a little too close to the edge of the shot to be considered a useful addition.

A second aerial shot in the Top 3 of this contest, and this is such an interesting and well shot view of these roads in the desert. It has a lot of detail and sharpness in the image for a phone capture, and the composition works very well.

I'm a sucker for a wintery scene, and this exquisitely shot portrait of a snow-covered tree ticks all the boxes. The subject itself does a lot of the work, being such a fine specimen and so attractively decked in snow, but the photographer has then done a great job of capturing it. There are no distractions from the tree itself, which is perfectly situated in the frame, and what looks like a gentle lightening of the edges creates a misty effect that serves to further focus one's attention on the tree. Well done!

My winning shot in this New Joiners' Landscapes contest is this spectacular drone composite of Mallorca. Wow! My apologies to those entering the contest who don't have a drone, but here's a good advert for getting one. I've had the pleasure of looking at this image at a much larger size in our judging system, and it's got a ton of detail in it. The balance between the lit and shaded parts of the island has been handled well, and the island just sits so well in the frame. A real achievement.

Framing a view with a window or door can be an extremely effective way to show off a landscape, and references the viewer looking out at the scene. It's important to show enough of the window or door to make it a feature of the shot, and also to ensure that the shot is lined up properly, with all the edges of the aperture squared off nicely. In this case a step or two back, and a better aligned image would have paid dividends. It could also do with a touch more brightness, but it's clearly a beautiful part of the world.

The most common issue seen with landscape images submitted to Photocrowd is a wonky horizon. It's always a shame to see a nice scene ruined by a horizon that hasn't been shot straight or straightened easily in post processing. Good practise for editing images involves careful attention to various things, and for landscape shots, this is at the top of the list.

This is a very well shot study of a lone tree that brings to mind Yosemite's Jeffrey Pine, as immortalised by Ansel Adams. I like the composition here, and it's a very well balanced shot, great light, and nice and sharp throughout. I'd be tempted to clone out the vapour trail sitting on the ridge, which I find a distraction rather than an addition, sitting so close to the ridge as it does.

Another gorgeous winter scene, and again very little to fault, with a beautiful tonal approach, muted colour palette, and those deer making the shot. The photographer discusses the shot at some length in the notes, and it's worth a read, as they've used post-processing to good effect to deliver the end result.

I like this compositional study of a dam, and the dam road is sufficiently angled for it to work. Are the verticals of the tower exactly vertical? Always worth checking this with the line tool in editing, and then either stretching the image or rotating to ensure they are perfectly vertical. I think the crop is a little too tight, and it would be good to see more of the cliff in the top left, and to give the towers a little more room to breathe at the top and bottom of the image.

Landscapes like this with layers of different elements - the water, the road, the hills, then the skyline with the wind turbines - are very effective. When foreground detail is brought into landscapes, it's important that it adds something to the scene, and is included with enough weight that it holds its own against the other elements. In this case the foreground shrubbery doesn't tick those boxes, and in particular the straggly plants at the bottom of the image. I would prefer to see this scene without any foregound elements, as well as with a bit more brightness in the shadows. Cloning out the water buoys would also bring more focus on the sailboat, which might help.