New Joiners - Landscapes #850

This is a really nice image - gorgeous light and the negative space creates a lovely sense of context. However, in my book, this shot doesn't qualify as a landscape - it would be better described as an environmental portrait. Therefore, I don't feel I can place the image highly. Sorry!

It's always hard to control exposure when shooting in dappled light within woodland. Sunlight filtering through the branches, and striking the woodland floor, have a tendency to overexpose, creating nasty blown out areas. While this is a nice enough shot, the blown highlights are distracting. I would recommend shooting woodland interiors on bright, but overcast days when the light is diffused and more attractive.

Placing the horizon centrally strengthens the composition in this instance, creating a lovely sense of symmetry. The mirror like reflections help produce a tranquil and visually pleasing shot. I might just darken the sky slightly to match the reflection. The narrower aspect ratio suits this scene.

This is a lovely big vista. So often, an early start will produce rewards. In this instance, low lying mist, soft dawn light, and rolling countryside combine to create a really atmospheric scene. For me, there is a tiny bit more foreground grass than is necessary, so I would be tempted to crop a sliver off the bottom of the frame.

This is a really well seen and captured image. At a different time of day, this composition wouldn't work so successfully. That inky, black area of shade really helps project and highlight the sunlit trees, producing depth and interest. I wonder if this shot would work well in black and white too? Mono might help reduce the distraction of the verdant tree in the bottom left corner.

This is a gorgeous location. Understandably, not everyone likes 'blurry' water, but I think the long exposure really suits this image, with the silky white water adding interest and atmosphere to the scene.

However, this image is overexposed in places - detail is entirely lost in the sky and the highlights are also blown in areas of the water. If the original file is ok, simply re-edit this image with localised adjustments to achieve a better overall exposure. If highlights are lost, I would recommend always using the histogram to guide exposure settings at the time of capture.

This is a beautiful, tranquil scene. The light's quality adds warmth to the image and the rocks provide depth and foreground interest. If I was going to provide any guidance, I would say next time think about separation - the boulder on the left is uncomfortably close to the reflection of the mountain peak. A slightly higher perspective would have separated these features. If possible, I might also have gone slightly wider to include the boulder's full reflection. Otherwise, this really is a well constructed and captured shot. Well done.

I love the idea behind this vibrant spring photo - using a shallow depth of field and a low shooting angle to blur the buttercups and frame the oak tree behind. However, I find the flowers overlapping the tree a little distracting. A slightly different perspective - where the flowers frame, rather than obstruct the tree - would have proved more successful.

Another really engaging drone shot that captures a different and interesting perspective. I like the composition, with the shape of the central hill directing the viewer's eye neatly toward the background mountains.

However, there is something odd going on in the top right corner of the frame! There are some weird artefacts which, I'm guessing, have been caused by slightly clumsy cloning?

I'm often drawn to landscape images captured in vertical format - they place so much emphasis on foreground shapes, texture, and interest. In this instance, the rocks in the bottom left create a subtle lead-in line, and the foreground grasses add texture. The elements in the landscape all ultimately lead the eye toward Mount Cook. A well seen and captured shot.

An iconic skyline and viewpoint, and a really nicely captured shot. The pastel sky, vivid blue water, brightly coloured bridge, and light trails combine to produce a really punchy photo, with instant impact. The composition and narrow aspect ratio work well in my view.

I can't quite work out this image. The reflections don't look right or natural at all, and the supplied camera settings (low ISO, fast shutter speed, etc) don't fit with an astro photo. The photographer hasn't supplied any backstory, but I'm guessing this is a composite shot of some sort.

I love simplicity, so this high-key image really jumps out at me. Snow is wonderfully effective at simplifying the landscape and highlighting shape and form. This skeletal tree provides a great subject, with the snow and washed-out sky projecting its shape. Centralising the subject works well in this instance. The composition and exposure are spot-on in my view - a really striking, graphic image.

Woodland can be challenging and chaotic to capture. But the photographer has found 'order' and an engaging composition. The stream and reflections add interest and symmetry, and the conversion to mono simplifies the shot, placing emphasis on lines, shapes, tones, and contrast. A well seen and captured shot.

This drone shot works really well, revealing the shape, vivid colour, and flow of the water. The woodland frames the waterfall beautifully, and the elevated perspective is interesting and striking. However, the white water motion is a little light, so I might just reduce highlight brightness slightly in editing.