New Joiners - Landscapes #525

There's always a romanticism when it comes to lone trees. As photographers, they're a tried and tested trope for good reason and it's hard not to enjoy them when they're done well. The morning light in this image, radiating through the branches of this tree, makes the whole scene pop and ensures the tree stands out from the uniform woodland behind. I'd have been inclined towards a slightly tighter crop to exclude the sliver of rock at the top that I find distracts me from the main subject matter. That aside, it's still a lovely image.

There is something soft yet compelling about this particular image. It's a quintessential seascape that is calming to look at and experience. The rocks in the foreground are a variety of intriguing shapes and sizes, helping to delineate between the water and the shoreline, and the inclusion of the fisherman provides a sense of scale as well as adding to the overall atmosphere of the scene. The pastel colours in the sky enhance the feeling of the image further. An enjoyable shot.

This image is all about the drama, and there's plenty of it, from the sunstar, to the cloudscape. It can be difficult to control exposure on a front-lit image such as this, but you've managed not to blow out the highlights too much in the sky. There's real mood in the clouds, with the darker ones almost reaching towards the sun, dappled with warm colours of the fading light. The single hay bale adds to the rural, rustic feeling, and catches the light wonderfully. I'd have been tempted to get closer to the the bale and used that as a compositional tool if accessible.

This image deals in economies of scale. It would be difficult to distinguish the size of this Icelandic monolith if it wasn't for the road circumventing the middle of the image. The juxtaposition between the road itself and the winding estuaries evokes the relationship between humans and the natural world. The blacks and the greens compliment each other and the cloud touching the top of the mountain top adds the the overall atmosphere. This is a classy drone shot that demonstrates an understanding of how to compose from the air.

Your imagination and eye for a composition has helped elevate this shot of a humble Maple into something altogether intriguing. I love the fact you have used the outer foliage of the Maple to lead me into the crooked and twisted branches of the tree, aided by the use of a shallow depth of field. The editing is subtle and helps to bring out the warm, autumnal colours, contrasting with the green moss growing on the trunk. It's nice to see a thoughtful and interesting tree shot and this more than deserves a spot in the top ten.

This shot has plenty of atmosphere and I was immediately drawn to it's cool blue tones when I first saw it. The moonlit scene is enhanced by the moody, cloudy sky and the snow capped mountains in the distance. The broken down pier helps to lead the eye into the mountains beyond and the browns of the wood help break up the omnipresent blues that permeate the scene. This is the kind of photo it's easy to get lost in, exploring all the details.

This image is all about simplicity and negative space, which you have used to your advantage. The green and yellow foreground contrasts well with the bright, bold blue sky, and the leading lines of the crops help lead the eye into the image. I'd have been inclined to crop out the contrail at the top of the image to ensure the eye isn't pulled away from the main subject matter. Overall, a pleasing image that uses colour and space really well.

When one thinks of Tuscany, this is exactly the kind of image that the imagination conjures. Those classical buildings and iconic trees, as well as the parched foreground and the undulating hills beyond. The light here has a lovely quality to it, dispersing over the landscape. However, the sky isn't adding too much to the image so I'd have been inclined to crop in a little tighter, or get a little closer to avoid distracting from that marvellous foreground.

There's plenty to like about this image; the juxtaposition between the housing estate in the background and the tree and crops in the foreground. I like how you've framed the tree with the yellow crops which compliments the spring growth on the tree itself. I also like that you've left out the sky that would invariable distracted from the subject matter as it seems to be taken during the middle of the day. The image would have been made even more compelling if it had been captured during the golden hour with lower light to bring out those colours and separate it from the background a little more.

Who can resist the allure of an arching rainbow? Not me, that's for sure. Especially when combined with the rich historic weight of the Calanais stones, standing stalwart against the dramatic sky like they have done for centuries. The panoramic crop helps to add to the composition here, focusing the eye on the stones and the rainbow without too many other distractions. The blues are a little over saturated and it might have a more natural look if you backed off the blues a little in post-production, but otherwise this is a compelling image.

This a tonne of mood in this atmospheric image and you've clearly gone to a lot of effort to create the panorama. I enjoy the contrast between the green mountains and the darker soil, mirrored by the gloom in the sky. Although there is plenty to enjoy regarding the panoramic composition, I feel there's a missed opportunity to use some of the green foliage dotted along the foreground to lead us into the complimentary colours of the mountains beyond. That aside, this must have been a sight to behold!

This is a compelling image that demonstrates good use of negative space. That bright, bold blue sky has an allure and pulls in the eye, only to be permeated by the many colourful flags catching the wind. The cars in the distance add to the sense of the scale as the drive out amongst the salt flats. There are a few distracting dust spots on the image that could be easily removed in post-production, but that aside this is an image that tells a story and leaves me wanting to know more.

One of those images that I knew was of the Lake District before reading the caption. I love the juxtaposition between the rugged, rocky outcrops of the fells and the patches of calming blue in the sky. The wall that runs from the left to the right of the image work to lead the eye to the main fell in the middle, catching the dappled light which is highlighting just enough of the fells to create some interest. The image has a bit of a blue cast to it which can happen when shooting in harsh light. If you reduced the blues in post-production that would help elevate the image further.

You've captured some gorgeous light in this image, illuminating all those lovely spring colours. I'm always a fan of a good reflection, and the lake looks wonderfully still in this image, mirroring the trees and hills. You've done well to put the horizon towards the top of the image which suggests you have an understanding of good composition. However, it might have been better, if at all possible, to have used the rock as the lead into the image, avoiding the distracting messiness of the foliage on the left side. Overall, a pleasing image.