New Joiners - Landscapes #877

Visually, this image has so much interest and impact. Drone shots have the ability to reveal repetition, texture, and contrast that you simply don't see or appreciate from ground level. This shot possesses such a lovely mixture of colours and shapes. I would imagine this photo would look brilliant as a large print. A really well seen and captured image.

I love the warm sunlight and amazing sand patterns highlighted by the sun's low position. This is a nice composition, but shooting toward the sun is very challenging and a camera's sensor cannot deal with the high level of contrast. In this instance, the sun is overexposed and - being so central in the frame too - quite dominant. Personally, I often favour side-light and composing shots like this with the sun just out of frame.

Shooting directly toward the sun will often cause issues with contrast and blown highlights - and, in this instance, the sun and its reflections are badly overexposed. In the future, you could bracket and blend images to increase dynamic range - or simply wait for the sun to be lower in the sky and more diffused. Finally, always check the horizon and straighten it when necessary.

I think this is a thoughtfully composed shot. The overhanging branch creates a neat and effective partial frame - and the photographer has been careful to ensure the leaves sit in a kind position, and don't overlap the building. The light, detail and viewpoint combine well.

As the photographer alludes to in their write-up, this scene would probably suit a slightly wider focal length. An ultra wide-angle would capture more of the lake and give the mountain peaks a tiny bit more breathing space. But this is still a well-composed shot with the shape of the lake directing the viewer's eye into the frame and toward Mont Blanc. A vibrant and striking shot.

This is such a lovely location and one I've photographed myself while in Glencoe. It's becoming increasingly hard to capture anything original or standout when you shoot well visited viewpoints like this. But the light and mood is lovely - and the shallow depth of field and 'soft' foreground heather really helps keep the viewer's attention on the little cottage. A nicely captured image.

This is one of those shots that you really have to see on a big screen (or as a big print) to enjoy - you'll not be able to appreciate it as a thumbnail on your phone. This is a simple, subtle shot with the power lines just poking through the mist. There is a certain beauty and tranquility about this minimalist composition.

I love dark, stormy images like this - they have so much mood and impact. The mixture of light and dark creates great depth and helps draw the viewer's eye into the frame. The light reflecting off the water and wet sand creates more layers and interest. There are just a few distractions along the beach in the distance that I find slightly irritating.

This is an impressive and big vista. The mist hanging in the valleys adds great atmosphere - and the lights from the buildings below create a sense of place. For me, there is too much uninteresting sky, though. I'd crop this photo into a narrower, letterbox aspect ratio to keep the emphasis on the landscape.

What a vista! But a great view doesn't necessarily guarantee a great shot. You still need to wait for the best light and think carefully about focal length and framing. The photographer has made the effort to shoot this scene in golden, early morning light - and they've been rewarded with an epic shot.

I do like the different layers and contrasting textures in this photograph. The use of a telephoto lens has foreshortened perspective and helped the photographer produce a concise, tightly framed shot that highlights the grandeur of the landscape. The file isn't bitingly sharp throughout, but shooting from a ship can prove challenging.

This is a very atmospheric image with the mist rising off the river and the skeletal trees silhouetted by the sunrise. I am distracted by the overexposed sun and reflections on the left of the frame, though. Therefore, I wonder if a slightly tighter, squarer crop might work better.

This is a lovely scene. The light is good, the chalet provides scale and interest, and the alps provide a dramatic backdrop. But the dirty sensor and dust spots in the sky (top left) badly undermine this shot. It should only take a minute or two to clone out these 'dust bunnies' and clean up the sky.

This is a lovely, tranquil scene, the light is good, and there is plenty of interest in the sky too. However, for me, the photographer is too far away. To put it bluntly, the immediate foreground isn't very exciting.. Had the photographer taken a few steps forward and got closer to the jetty, this would have made a neat lead-in line and added depth and interest to the foreground. The photographer would have also been able to make more of the reeds and reflections. It's important to think carefully about your shooting position before triggering the shutter.

I love the drama, simplicity, and instant impact of a good silhouette. This building works well as an inky outline and the photographer has positioned themselves thoughtfully to capture the sun rising directly behind the structure. If this was my shot, I would crop this image slightly to effectively make the building larger in frame and exclude some of the empty, wasted space around it.