The lighthouse on Llanddwyn island is so well photographed that it’s hard to take a picture that stands out from the rest. Here, however, the composition, the light, the processing and the atmosphere combine to give this image the edge. The foreground rocks are bathed in golden light, which then travels along the right of the path to the building. Beautiful.
660 Images entered
Brief
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**This contest is open to photographers ranked between 1 and 250 in this week’s <a href="https://www.photocrowd.com/photographer-community/">Leaderboard</a>.** There are more than 250 lighthouses in the UK, and at their peak in the USA there were 850 in operation. It’s the combination of their unique design – such feats of engineering – and their solitude, set against some of our wildest coastal landscapes, that makes them such a compelling subject for photographers. You might choose to shoot one during blue hour, when the artificial illumination is set against the natural light of the sky. Or why not fit a 10-stop filter and go for a long exposure that reflects the passing of time and the scudding clouds above? Then, of course, there’s the option of including crashing waves on the rocks below the lighthouse, demonstrating their strength against the wildest of elements.
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I love the way the rocks and seaweed have been used to frame the lighthouse here – and aligning the tip with the top rock is inspired! My only complaint is that the shadows have been lifted a little too much in the foreground. While it's nice to see so much detail, our eyes wouldn’t naturally manage this when the dynamic range is so vast, so it feels a touch unnatural.
This shot is full of drama. The subject is super sharp, while the clouds have a soft painterly feel. The crop is bold and highly effective – including the slice of land on the right gives a lovely sense of context. While it’s obviously a stylistic choice, the enhancements to the sky are a little too much for me. Toned down a touch, it would be right up there for me.
