Natural rock formations

Many of the images which made my top ten had quite natural processing, but I like this one for its bold processing which accentuates the subject to give great mood, and really highlights this unusual rock formation (I wonder how long it will survive the pounding before snapping off into the sea?!). Great range of tones, strong colours and the central composition all work well for me, giving this strong image a deserved place in my top ten. Well done.

I am unsure where you were positioned to capture this scene, but it gives us a fabulous view of these strange rocky peaks, peeping out of the early morning mist. Lovely colours and lighting, and the wide crop works well, as we can appreciate the scene below us which stretches for miles in the distance. Great image, well done.

Your decision to convert this shot to black & white adds to the moodiness of this image of Giants Causeway, and suits the subject well. There is no shooting information attached to the image, but I imagine it was taken using a slow shutter speed, and the mistiness on the right is water/sea spray, rather than mist or fog? Whichever, that adds to the mood of the scene too. Exposure and focus have been handled well, as we can see the detail and shape of the basalt columns from the foreground and away into the distance. Simple, but effective, well done.

This image is a perfect example of a shot which there is in sharp focus from front to back (something I personally find very difficult to achieve, wherever I try to place my focus point and however small my aperture!). This entire-image sharpness really suits the subject, as we can see all the wonderful details on the rocks, from the rounded bumpy bits in the foreground, to the striations on the more distant peaks.. Great lighting, great colouring, no distractions from a "busy" sky - just great rocks! Well done.

I find this image somehow fascinating. Your capture of these rocks has been done at just the right time to take advantage of the wonderful lighting. There is a rich golden glow, and somehow the rocks have a very 3-dimensional look on the picture. The details and shapes are shown very well, and the wide crop suits the subject too. Great image, well done.

This is a striking image which has been carefully handled in processing, so that nothing has been over-done. Your hunt for the ideal place to take the image was spot on, as you found the perfect crack in the ice to catch the reflection in the right place - must have been pretty chilly getting down low to the ice to get the capture too!! Good control of the highlights and shadows on the rock - the snowy areas not blown out, and there is good sharp details on the shady side too. Bang on centre composition works well for the subject, and I love the detail in the cracking ice too. The limited colour palette of gentle shades of blue and brown all add to a fabulous image. Congratulations on your winning image.

The lighting and colouring you have captured here all give this image a very natural look, which is what attracted me. With the sun absent, there are no harsh shadows which can sometimes obliterate details on similar images. I really like the composition and the crop, with the trail and level area on the left, and the wide expanse of rocky hoodoos down below. The fluffy pinky-peach cloud made an appearance at the right time too to compliment the scene! Lovely image, well done on your top three placing.

This sort of image does not usually happen by luck or by accident - I imagine there was a lot of planning to be in the right place at the right time on the right day! It has all paid off, as you have a wonderful image. The sun, with the star-burst rays, is in just the right place, and there is just enough lighting added to keep a sense of the darkening evening, but to enable the details of the rocks to be visible too. I like the panorama-crop too which works well with the subject. Great image, well done.

This is a very striking image, well executed on many levels. Focus, exposure, colouring and choice of slow shutter speed are all spot on for me. What really adds strength to the shot however is the composition, with the water channel on a diagonal through the image, and the rocky island out at sea being framed by the near rocks. The bright green weed on the rocks brightens the shot nicely. This edged up my placings through the judging, eventually just being pipped for top spot. Congratulations on your second place.

There were numerous entries of Antelope Canyon in this contest, but this one stood out as being my favourite. Images of the canyon are entered into many contests (on subjects such as rocks, nature, colours, abstract, patterns etc) and, whilst it must be an amazing and challenging location to photograph, the images can tend to look rather samey after seeing them again and again. Due to the lighting, it is probably also difficult to achieve the desired effect without ending up looking over-processed. You have been able to achieve this however, and what I like here is how you have been able to keep a great feeling of depth in the shot, and I get a real sense of the rock spiraling away from me. Control of the light and shade, and appropriate focusing assists with this too. Your colours are bold, but look appropriate (many other images somehow turn our very blueish, presumably auto white balance over-correcting). Close to a top ten placing, but just missing out in the end. Still a fabulous image - great work.