New Joiners - Landscapes #779

This shot simply shouts-out summer. The soft, low sunlight and beautifully backlit poppies and grasses create wonderful atmosphere. The shallow depth of field - generated by the large aperture - works well in this instance, placing focus on the flowers within their rural setting. A nicely exposed and captured photo.

This is a magnificent view and a nice composition, with the foreground trees providing a partial frame and a lovely sense of scale too. The clouds hanging atmospherically above the mountain peaks add to the frame, and the side-light provides contrast and depth. The blurry crow in the bottom left corner is distracting, though - once you spot it, you can't unsee it! I would consider cloning the bird out.

Landscape photographers do love a lone tree! This is a nicely composed shot - the light is good and the sky is attractive too. I think the size and placement of the tree in the frame is just about spot-on. A simple, but effective image.

This is a truly impressive vista, isn't it? The jagged mountain peaks poking-up above the low cloud provides a real sense of elevation and wildness. The emerald coloured lake in the foreground adds interest and the buildings provide a sense of scale. A well constructed and captured image.

Less is often more when taking landscape photographs. When possible, try to simplify the scene - and if it doesn't enhance the frame exclude it. In this instance, the foreground doesn't really add anything to the composition - its a distraction if anything. Getting closer to the water and placing more emphasis on the pier and stormy sky would have produced a more engaging, concise result.

This is a stark, but beautifully simple image. Snow really simplifies the landscape, reducing it to a series of shapes, lines and objects. The photographer has placed the tree neatly in the gap between the boundary wall on the left and fence on the right - and selected a camera height where the tree's branches remain above the skyline. The dark, brooding sky suits the mood of the shot. A clean and effective composition.

This is not a badly constructed shot, with the road acting as a lead-in line to the mountains beyond. However, the image-quality is poor with the file appearing to suffer from camera-shake. A shutter speed of 1/400sec should be fast enough to eliminate shake, so I'm not sure what happened in this instance. But remember to check image-quality by regularly reviewing your shots on the back of your camera. That way, you can reshoot if necessary.

Not everyone will like this image - it is a busy composition. But I really like the idea behind the shot, with the palm leaves creating a neat frame for Big Ben. The blue sky adds a splash of colour and overall I think it is well seen and original shot of a well-photographed landmark.

This image has a lovely vintage feel to it. I like the composition, with the road snaking through the frame and creating an engaging S-shape. The low contrast processing won't be to everyone's taste, and the lack of contrast does reduce the shots impact. A pleasing shot nonetheless, though.

This is a really nice capture of a magpie in context with its Rocky Mountain environment. It's well framed and exposed. However, it doesn't really qualify as a landscape in my opinion - its a nature shot instead. Consider entering into one of our New Joiners - Animals contests instead?

This black and white coastal shot has lovely atmosphere. The lonely figure and gulls provide interest and focal points. However, there are a number of dust spots obvious in the sky. Remember to always check your files for 'dust bunnies' and remove them using the Clone or Heal brush.

Mist provides a certain mystery and atmosphere to a landscape photo. It softens the view and produces attractive layers. In this instance, the low-lying list accentuates the shapes and features within the landscape, highlighting trees, hedges, and contours. Light and shade add depth and interest. I would maybe crop the image slightly to reduce the amount of clear blue sky, but otherwise this is an attractive and well-captured landscape.

This is a lovely far-reaching view, with the elevated viewpoint providing a neat perspective. The foreground tree tops create an effective partial frame, and the clearing mist softens the view and adds atmosphere. A few of the branches creeping into frame on the right are a little distracting maybe, but otherwise a well captured landscape.

Bedruthan is a lovely, rugged stretch of Cornish coastline. The photographer has selected a good viewpoint, with nice separation between the rock stacks. The lengthy exposure suits the scene, reducing the sea to an ethereal blur and simplifying the scene overall.