New Joiners - Landscapes #852

This is a gorgeous, low-key shot that makes the most of the conditions but does so without sacrificing the composition.

You've broken the rules of thirds and placed the horizon in the middle and this is a great example of when the rule should be broken because the two halves of the image stand in opposition to each other, the dark greens of the grass contrasting with the wam tones of the sky above.

Of course, the image is made even better by the impressive sky, with the early signs of the day catching on the clouds, creating a cacophony of colour.

I love the mist that is visible in the distance as well, it acts as a line between the darker grass and the bombastic sky. Placing the tree on the right of the frame also works well. Nicely seen, captured and processed, thank you for sharing.

I love the mood that you've captured in this image, aided by the overcast weather and the low cloud base swallowing up the tops of the hills in the distance and consuming the whole sky. The overcast sky helps to bring out the green colours below, complemented by the cool blue tones of the water and the hint of yellow in the foliage.

I like your processing choices, and the portrait orientation. My only criticism would be that too much of the frame is given over to the blank, featureless sky which adds nothing to the image and a tighter crop might hold the viewers attention longer. That being said, there is plenty to love here. Thank you for sharing.

I do love a moody waterfall shot that shows off why landscape photographers get so excited about autumn. Here, you've captured that lovely time period between the end of summer and the middle of autumn when some of the leaves are in full fall colour and some are still hanging on to summer.

I like the mood you've gone for here, underexposing some parts of the image to bring out others. It works well and gives the image a sense of atmosphere. The long exposure is just enough to add some textures and smoothness to the water, and the portrait orientation makes the most of the elements in the frame, from the manmade bridge at the top to the water at the bottom.

An image that demonstrates your technical skill at both composition and processing. Nicely done, thank you for sharing!

This is an unusual perspective on niagara falls and it's all the better for it.

Instead of focusing on the falls themselves, which is what photographers often do, you've decided to capture them in the context of their surroundings, which must have shifted and changed in the millennia since the falls were formed.

The inclusion of the city to the right of the frame demonstrates this tension between manmade elements and the natural world. The waterfall occupies one side of the frame and the cityscape dominates the other. This is all tied together by the colours of sunset creating oranges and yellows in the sky, complementing the greens of the foliage and the blue of the water.

The panoramic aspect ratio elevates the tension and the composition and overall, this image works well and has a clear message and theme. Thanks for sharing!

This image is all about that autumn colour and how it is being elevated and enhanced by the low light creating warmth and contrast across the whole vista.

Your vantage point is a good one, allowing us, the viewer to look out across the rolling hills and endless colour and the landscape seemingly goes on forever.

The sunrise sky adds to the image, with the colours providing texture and allowing for the colour to bounce off. One of those images where the eye roams from one side to the other and takes it all in.

Nicely seen and captured, thank you for sharing.

I love the composition you've gone for here, from the huts in the foreground to the mountains in the distance. It demonstrates the tension between manmade things and nature coexisting in the same space.

Your framing is great, with the huts in the foreground reflecting the shape of the mountains in the distance, both tops covered in snow. The line of the trees and the hint of mist help to separate out the two elements and the blue sky above adds some much needed colour but doesn't overwhelm the image.

The hint of movement in the sky adds some narrative and overall this is a visually pleasing shot. I just wish you'd added some further detail about your thought processing in the description box, but that aside there is plenty to enjoy. Thanks for sharing.

I love the mood and energy that you've captured in this seascape. Long exposures are such a good way to add movement and narrative to a static scene, and ones where the exposure is long enough to capture movement but not so long that the water is completely smoothed out, is absolutely the sweet spot as far as I'm concerned.

The composition works well, with the shoreline leading the eye to the rocky outcrop, framed by the frothing water and the sky above. Not sure if it's sunrise or sunset, but the hint of colour in the sky is lovely and elevates the mood of the image.

A well crafted seascape that demonstrates your technical and creative prowess. Thanks for sharing.

I've been judging these New Joiner contests a while now and it's rare that I get to see an image that is truly unique. You've managed to do that with this photo and what a delight it is.

At first glance I was confused, there is a lot going on and it seems more like an abstract photography than a painting. Then I read your description and everything became clear. What a magical sight this must have been to witness and what a great job you've done of combining the fire flies and the stars above in a single image.

The movement you've captured in the sky, combined with the movement of the fireflies as they dash around, adds a lovely sense of narrative, and your choice to use the tree as a focal point really helps to ground the composition.

Your processing is subtle, but enough to bring out the colours and the gentle tones of the sky in the background. A truly wonderful image and a worthy winner. I imagine this image will meet with success in whatever contest it is entered in to. Thanks for sharing!

There is something cinematic about this image. I feel like it could either by a still from a movie or the movie poster itself. It speaks to the midwest of the USA, and all the connotations that brings with it.

I love the composition, with the two grain bins dominating the frame, complemented by the small sliver of the moon hanging in the sky. Night has all but consumed the day, but there is enough ambient light around to illuminate the bins. That said, there is a lot of noise in the image due to the high ISO. If you have the RAW file and it's in the right format, Lightroom's new powerful de-noise tool is great at retrieving detail in noisy image, so it might worth a shot running it through that for less noisy results.

That being said, you might enjoy the noisiness of the image as it does as to the character of the shot. Impressive creative vision, thank you for sharing.

There's something about the colour and the tones in this photo that I really enjoy and made it stand out from many of the other entries.

There is a clarity to the light that is casting across the foreground, picking out the cattle (who are also adding some scale to the image), and bringing out the green in contrast to the mountains. In turn, the abundance of clouds above add some much needed texture and complement both the mountainscape and the greenery below (especially with the hint of blue sky visible between the clouds).

The inclusion of the cattle really makes the image work. It just brings some narrative and a focal point in the expansive landscape.

One of those images that just has a nice quality to it, thanks for sharing.

This is a well-crafted seascape that uses all the elements in the frame to powerful effect. The rock formation in the middle is framed by the imposing presence of the rocks on both sides of the frame. They ensure that our attention always ends up on the unusually shaped rock formation in the middle of the image (going against the convention of having it either on the left or the right of the composition.

The exposure time is just enough to create a bit of movement in the water and the direction of that movement once again leads the eye to the rock formation in the centre of the frame. I like the mood created by the overcast sky and the way you've leaned into that.

Nicely seen, captured and processed. Thank you for sharing!

I don't think I've seen any images of Pittsburgh entered into this competition before, but wow, what an entrance. I've a huge fan of urban landscapes, especially on foggy mornings and you have done a great job making the most of the conditions and showing off the city as well as the weather that surrounds it.

In fact, this image is a really good illustration of why fog is rare in built up in environments. It's often just too warm for the fog to consume the inner sanctum of the city. I really like how the fog is swirling around the buildings clustered in the middle of the frame, catching the low light of the rising sun in the distance.

Your composition is elevated further by including the cart on the right of the frame, although I would have liked the cart to be in focus as the blurriness detracts a little from the overall effectiveness. That aside, the red cart compliments the oranges in the sky and the presence of the cart provides a sense of scale for everything in the distance.

A gorgeous morning and a splendid way to show off Pittsburgh, thank you for sharing!

Diamond beach is one of those places in Iceland that pulls in photographers from all over the planet on the promise that ice from the nearby glacier will wash up on the black sands and create a wonderful contrasting scene.

You've got all those elements in the frame. The ice, the black sand, the waves crashing on to the shore and the hint of colour (I'm guessing sunrise as you haven't provided any information which is a shame) catching on the clouds above.

You've also included another photographer and although I can see your reasoning, it somewhat pulls me out of the frame, especially as he's not quite sharp. I'd consider a square crop of the right of the image so we get the ice, the beach and some of the sky with out the man distracting us.

Other than that, an interesting rendition of a favourite location.

This image is all about the light and how it's covering and enhancing parts of the landscape. From your vantage point we are looking out across the distant hills with the low cloud base rising up over the tops in a threatening manner, signalling a change in the weather.

I like the colour in some of the plants dotted around the foreground, and the way the light is just touching the tops of some of the trees. The yellows and greens work well with the blues in the sky above and portrait orientation ensures our attention remains on the main parts of the composition. Thanks for sharing.

This is a lovely example of the best camera being the one you have on you. The mobile phone is a great way of always being able to get the shot, and you've managed to do a good job here, capturing all the elements and ensure the feeling of the scene remains.

I love the silhouette of the people on the boat, with their backs to each other, framed by the low sun casting colour across the waves. I like the cloud that is just above the sun, adding some texture.

A lovely bit of storytelling that has been well seen and captured, thank you for sharing.