New Joiners - Landscapes #844

What a beautiful, tranquil scene. The letterbox aspect ratio suits the landscape and centralising the horizon has helped create a strong sense of symmetry. The light's clarity and quality really elevate the beauty of this scene. I'm sure this shot would look superb as a big print.

This is a classic 'big view'. The elevated viewpoint helps capture the vista disappearing into the distance. You can see a hint of autumn in the landscape and the light's quality and clarity are good. I find the sky a little too light, though - I would reduce the highlight's brightness in editing.

What a fantastic vista. The low sunlight adds warmth and mood to the scene, and the rice terrace provides interest, reflections, and compelling foreground shapes and interest. The wider aspect ratio suits the scene. I just find the reeds/bamboo shoots in the immediate foreground slightly distracting. If the photographer could have taken a step forward and excluded them from frame, I think the composition would be slightly cleaner and stronger.

This is such an iconic view and any Ansel Adams fan will recognise this vista immediately. The light play is good, producing contrast and depth. The photographer was just a little unlucky that the tip of Half Dome is hidden by low cloud, as this weakens the view somewhat.

The lengthy 15-second exposure suits this stunning coastal sunrise, smoothing out the waves and spreading the colour in the sky. The rocks and clean sand create a strong and pleasing foreground. It is a calming and well balanced long exposure shot.

Mood is often key to capturing successful landscape images. And this scene is hugely atmospheric with low, warm sunlight and wisps of mist tumbling down the mountains. While I like this shot, I think the photographer has included too much empty sky. Personally, I would have liked to have seen less sky and more of the glacial foreground.

A lovely sky to reward the photographer for setting their alarm and venturing out early with their camera. The reflective tidal pools add shape and colour to the foreground and the posts, stretching across the frame, provide a focal point. I wonder if a slightly narrower aspect ratio would strengthen the composition further?

What lovely wintry conditions - you can feel the nip in the air just looking at this shot. The mist really softens the image and helps highlight the trees. The road and footprints provide a neat lead-in line. Although the highlights are blown in the sky, the problem is disguised by the tree trunk and just about acceptable in this instance.

This type of image might not jump out at you at first glance, but it is a really nice composition. The shape of the foreground reeds and sweep of the river behind compliment each other really nicely, combining to create an engaging 'S' shape. The black and white conversion suits the scene and conditions. A well seen photo.

These are lovely wintry conditions and the photographer has identified a photogenic scene. However, I find the foreground tree trunk quite heavy and dominant - it abruptly divides the frame. I suspect there may have been a better shot by shooting from the river bank just to the right of the tree and capturing a cleaner, clearer view of the river.

This is a well planned and thoughtfully composed shot. Using a 'frame within a frame' can create really engaging results. The hole in the rock neatly frames the landscape behind and the setting sun. Shots like this often require a very large depth of field, though. In this instance, the rocks behind are not critically sharp - the use of a smaller aperture, or (better still) focus stacking would have produced a sharper result overall.

This is a really abstract image - at first glance, it could be a close-up of blistered paintwork or a lichen on a rock almost. And it's not a shot that has a huge amount of instant impact. But many good photos are 'slow burners' - the more you look at them the better they appear. The inclusion of that lonely little rowing boat is so key, adding a focal point and a sense of place and context. The image contains a visually pleasing blend of colours and contrast.

I'm never really dabbled with IR, but I do like the results. This is a very striking and surreal shot. Most IR images are black and white, but the partial colour produces a very different effect. The dappled light adds depth and contrast to this shot.

This is a great location, and the elevated perspective of a drone helps capture this extensive and interesting landscape. This is a nice enough shot, but to elevate it to a great one, I think the light's quality needed to be better - this scene captured in golden hour sunlight would have more impact and atmosphere.