Landscapes of Hawaii

This image is incredibly strong. Not many photos jump out the page at you like this. Then again, not many photos put lava right in your face. I'm amazed you managed to get a shot this close.

The best thing about this image is the leading lines with the lava right at the base of the image causing your eye to travel all the way up to the sunset behind the lava field.

The dark blacks add an ominous tone - this photo would look worse if the blacks were washed out so I think you picked just the right tones.

I'm impressed you managed to capture this in a single frame. The brights and darks are incredibly different from a dynamic range perspective. I think you did the right thing sacrificing sharpness in the foreground and background here for the sake of getting the fast shutter speed to take the shot quickly. Safety first - and you dont want a melted camera! In the end, this image isn't about sharp back to front, its about the relationship between the lava craggs and the sunset.

Amazing work, thanks for submitting this!

This image brilliantly captures a typically unexpected or unseen side of hawaii that many tourists never realise exists.

Storms and bad weather can ravage the islands every now and again causing devastating damage. For me, this image is a great depiction of the drama that can come with bad weather.

The shutter speed and framing are perfect to show the spray of water off the waves. The composition is strong with the water forming some natural leading lines. The sunset behind the wave adds colour and interest to the background as your eye sweeps from left to right across the frame.

Great work.

This image is strong for a number of reasons (not only because you did a climb that I never had the courage to do when I lived there!).

By getting a view here out to the side of the stairway gives you better perspective than most classic shots of this view. People like to show the stairway as you walk down it, but for me that doesn't give the viewer context of what the walk is like.

The edit is excellent here. with the gentle and faded greens. The leading lines take you right off into the mist, which is partly due to the scene itself but also clever positioning from you when you took the image. Also there is excellent balance and visual weight across the frame from left to right and top to bottom. Great work.

This image was (I think) the only drone photograph submitted, which made it immediately stand out. More importantly than that though there are certain characteristics that made it essential for the top ten.

The colours in this image are perfect, and complimentary according to colour theory. That really helps the viewer get a pleasing, calming sensation.

The moment between you and your PIC is beautiful and accentuated by the leading lines diagonally across the frame which focus the viewer on them. Even more beautifully, if you follow the lines, you get to the shadow of you both holding hands, which is artistically stunning.

I also think you used the perfect shutter speed here for the water to get a nice bit of drama and foam, without losing definition.

Great image.

This image doesn't mess about. The contrast is huge between the giant fiery sun on the right hand side and the dark vignetting across the frame. But unlike many photos that try to accomplish this feat and overdo it, I found this image to be visually stunning.

What I really like about this is that the dark vignette gives an almost confidential feel to the shot, which is accentuated by our subject who is alone (perhaps contemplating his now ending vacation..?).

Then, once you've got your head around this slightly gloomy situation, your eye is whisked off by the clouds over his head, and the leading lines in the waves straight towards the sun (which is perfectly exposed by the way - not easy to do) which gives you an immense dose of hope and warmth.

But the best bit of the entire photo for me, is the mist rising off the wave just below the sun. That's the part of the image my eye keeps coming back to and enjoying.

What a shot buddy, well done. Really brings out the spirit of the islands.