New Joiners - Landscapes #623

A rather magnificent foggy scene that demonstrates the sheer enormity of the Redwoods. This sense of scale is helped further by the inclusion of the two hikers wandering through the forest, as they are utterly dwarfed by the woodland that surrounds then. The foggy morning adds some much need atmosphere and helps to separate out the trees in the foreground to the trees behind, providing depth to the scene.

This is a rather lovely mountainscape that includes just enough winter to make the scene interesting and full of mood. I like that you've used the fence on the left to lead into the heart of the composition, and although there isn't a perfect reflection I rather like that there's a hint of the water's colour visible. The touch of light on the mountaintop works well, as does the tiny wisp of mist in the distance. Nicely seen and captured.

This is a quintessential rural scene that just speaks of the British countryside and the relationship between agriculture and nature. I like the creative choices you've made here, especially to shoot down at f/2.8 which leaves the tractor in focus and muddies the rest of the composition. It helps focus the eye. The processing also highlights the tractor, and the scene is helped by the juxtaposition between the green/yellow fields and the overcast sky.

The lure of first light in winter is powerful and this image is a lovely demonstration of why. There's a real romance the to initial glow of the morning sun catching on crisp, cold mountain tops. Vibrant pinks breaking through the endless cool blue tones and frozen landscape. It's fleeting, beautiful and it's humbling. An evocative image.

I rather enjoyed your description of this image. I thoroughly concur that whenever I've capturing a landscape I'm trying to emulate how I felt through the colours, the conditions and the composition. It's about capturing a mood and a moment, even if some things aren't 100% technically perfect. There's perfection and beauty in all the imperfections. The light works here, with the bright white of the building cutting through the scene. I can understand why you've kept in so much of the sky, to emphasise the mood. I would suggest that the horizon is a little wonky and straightening that up in post would make the image even more effective.

An intriguing image that's made even more interesting by the lack of a description so I'm left pondering where the photo was taken and why you made certain compositional choices. This is one of those images that could easily be of an alien landscape as there's no real context. I love how the light is falling on the rocks, cutting through the haze and revealing a myriad of textures. I like that you've gone for a tight crop, excluding the sky which would only serve as a distraction. The curve that runs through the valley is pleasing to the eye with differentiation in visibility adding to the atmosphere.

There's lots to enjoy about this image, from the light that is falling on the faraway hills, to the shape of those hills as they hut up through the low cloud. There's a sense of stillness and calm to the image, with the reflection visible in the water beyond, spreading into the wetlands. The sheep traversing the crag are the real star of the show, adding foreground interest and scale as they move through the scene. I'd be inclined to see how it works in a 16:9 crop to lose some of the crag in the foreground and focus attention more on the sheep and the hills.

Some images are all about capturing the conditions and this fits the bill. That storm cloud is immense, almost swallowing up all the available sky and bringing with it warm colours from the end of the day, contrasting with the calm greenery of the valley below. It must have been absolutely magnificent to witness!

Love the juxtaposition in this photo between the bathtubs in the foreground, the rolling hills in the middle and the line of trees behind. Even though the bathtubs should feel like they don't belong, everything has it's place in this composition. This is all helped by the ethereal conditions, giving the shot an otherworldly feel. You've used the track as a lead into the image and thought about how everything slots into the frame. You've also done well to ensure the sun isn't over exposed. One of those images that demands you look a little bit closer.

The unmistakable Great Ocean Road with it's geologically rich coastline and cliff faces. It still somewhat amuses me that there are definitely a lot less than 12 Apostles left. The dying embers of the day are catching on those textured cliffs, and the clouds are adding some drama. I would say the image is a little bit over-processed for my tastes as we're losing some of the detail in the shadows and dealing with a very warm colour cast but processing is a very personal endeavour and this quite possibly is exactly the mood you wanted to convey.

Ah yes, the infamous barn that sits among the rapeseed. There's a reason why such scenes draw photographers to them. We love to play with colour, and there's a wonderful contrast here between the bright, vibrant yellow and the cool blue of a spring sky. Positioning the barn on the right works well, although I find myself taken out of the scene by the tree towards the left. I wonder if a square crop would work better? Either way, a lovely colourful rendition of an old favourite.

Interesting that you shot this on a 35mm (which I think with the D5200 would make it a 50mm equivalent). It's not necessarily the first focal length you think of when it comes to landscape photography, but I'm always been a fan of shooting when mid-range primes because it makes the photographer think and move. You've captured some gorgeous warm colours here, and the ratio of the land to the sky works to give priority to those clouds. The image has been thoughtfully processed and packs a colourful punch.

I absolutely love the processing in this image. The monochrome, almost infrared feel emphasises that big, big sky with the combination of clouds. I like the ratio of land to sky, and I like that the light is falling in certain places but not in others. However the real star is that little tree, cast in shadow and bold enough to stand out against the enormous backdrop of cloud behind. It just works. However, leaving in part of the tree on the left edge pulls the eye right out of the image and I would recommend cropping that out for an even more evocative composition.

I have to say, I was a little confused reading your description thinking that I'd completely missed a whole national park in Wales. Thankfully a quick google search later confirmed I wasn't losing my marbles (well, not yet at least). What drew me to this image is the echoes famous landscapes such as Monument Valley. The grey, smooth granite rock and the formation jutting out at the top provide a juxtaposition to the warm tones of the sunset, light just disappearing for the evening. And intriguing picture from an intriguing place!

You've made an interest compositional choice here to position the mountain the middle of the image and then use the foliage to frame it. It's an effective tactic that ensures the eye isn't too distracted by the expanse of snow or the person in the bottom right. I think you've focused on the foliage rather than the mountain and I wonder if it would have been more effective to have keep the mountain in focus and blurred the foliage. Still, this image has a feeling to it, evoking sunny, wintery days,