Mountains
faryafshar

Mountains

December 2025

Expert
winner

This image really stole the show for me. Just incredible colours. It really demonstrates timing is everything with these epic landscape shots. The early morning light elevating this to take the prize. Really beautiful symetry in the composition both vertically with the matterhorn centre stage bracketed by the boulders in the water. And laterally with the reflections. There's also a lovely depth with points of interest placed throughout the picture. A stunning shot, congratulations.

I loved the moody colours an the smoothing effect of using a long exposure in this photo. A strong composition too with a repetition of form and texture throughout the image with the shape of the bridge repeated by the mountain; also the rocky texture seen throughout and withe the colours from the mossy rocks and heath and finally the sky. A beautiful shot.

I really loved the layers of composition in this picture. From city to mountain to cloud to moon. Also the repeated shapes in the layers really draws it all together; like the triangle of Mt Baker and the same shape in the cloud behind. And even small triangles again in the cranes in the foreground. The use of a long lens compressing these layers giving a remarkable graphic effect. The colours are really beautiful too, so rich. A beautiful image all round.

The symetry of the photo is what really drew me in. bucking the rule of 3rds and placing the subject centre stage really works here. Especially with the repeated shapes of the reflection and then the rock right down the middle of the frame. A great example of how these "rules" are more useful suggestions rathen than the only way to produce a good image.

Of the many images of Yosemite I've seen throughout this competition this was my favourite. The use of black and white giving a nod and homage to Ansel Adams and drawing out all the beautiful textures and interplay between the rock itself and the mist and clouds. An interesting compositional choice to place El Capitan so large in frame that I think really adds to the gradure and dominating nature of it. A shot I'm sure Adams himself would be proud of.

some of the most dramatic lighting I've seen throughout this competition. The way the sunlight mottles the landscape is really something. The use of black and white coupled with the lighting really adds to the drama and lends a timless quality; there's something almost primordial about this shot. The texture of those peaks with all the above is so rich and lustrous, I love it. Well done.

So much presence in this picture. The way the clouds seem to gather around the highest peak in the world is very ominous. It gives the view a real sens of forboding, I love it. While I love the contrast of the white peaks all lit up and the darker unlit foothills in front I would try a narrower crop, something like 16:9 for example to help draw the viewer in even more. Still a beautiful image either way though.

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Brief

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You don’t have to be a geologist or a climber to be fascinated by mountains. They’re something that, over millennia, humankind has either marvelled at, worshipped or desired to conquer. For the photographer, their sheer majesty can be the fascination. You might want to use a telephoto lens to pick out an element of the mountain, compressing perspective and ‘stacking’ one peak against the next, while at the opposite end of the scale, a wideangle allows you to convey a sense of scale and drama. If choosing the latter, always ensure you have foreground interest, as an expanse of empty space in the lower part of the frame will reduce the image’s overall impact.

4,036 Images entered

1,340 Photographers

Really incredible use of wide angle here. a staple of landscape photography used to its maximum potential. The inclusion of the snowy foreground and water really leads the eye through to the building and then impressive heights behind. The colours are sublime too with both pink and blue in the sky and the fact the ground is all snowy makes for a very serine image.

I love the high perspective afforded by the drone. Something not utilised much in this competition so something of a unique image. That sunset is so intense too creating an almost otherworldy colour that's really beautiful. I actually also love the grain in this image, it adds something to create a more fantastical scene.

The texture of the light in this image is just incredible. It's presumably some haze in the atmosphere is allowing us to see the shadow projected across the sky. I really interesting effect. It's beautiful as it is but I would consider experimenting with cropping to improve the composition. I'd like to see what a square looked like. A lovely image regardless.

There's a real sense of epic scale in this image. The inclusion of the buildings in the foreground really sets the scene for the dramatic majesty of the mountains behind. There's also something about the softness of the landscape in the foreground that again contrasts with the dramatic jagged peaks behind. All this coupled with a beautiful colour pallet created by a combination of careful composition and time of day creates a truly wonderful image.

Such a great use of negative space. Super simple and clean and at the same time classy and refined. There's something playfull here too, a peak peeking out, I love it. There's a real consideration in the composition too. Everythings in just the right place. I'd definitely have this one on my wall.

The colour contrast is so beautiful in this picture. The juxtaposition of the monochrome mountains behind the smorgasborg of colourful buildings making both elements pop more. And even beyond that the green space in the forground around the buildings splits the whole image in half, separating the top half of whites and blues. a stunning photo, well done.

An image that truly captures the rugged beauty of the highlands, both the drama of its geology and its weather! The complex shapes of the mountians reflected in the roiling clouds above. I particularly love the hint of the rainbow in the corner. A flash of colour that really elevates this shot.

There's such a fantastic dreamy quality to this shot. The low light with the mist creating visible shadow lines through the air is truly mesmerising. There's so much depth created here from the high vantage point allowing the viewer to see so many layers of mountain it really leads the observer through the frame.

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