New Joiners - Landscapes #880

When shooting without a tripod, it can be hard to keep the horizon perfectly straight. A sloping horizon can be big distraction and will dilute a photo's quality. But thankfully it is relatively easy to correct post capture using photo editing software or an app.

I can't commend this image unfortunately as it's a flower close-up, not a landscape - which is the theme of this particular New Joiners contest. But it's a nice image and the water droplets add interest and sparkle to the flower.

This is a nice coastal scene and the wide-angle perspective nicely captures the shape of the cove. However, the dull conditions and lack of drama and light really weaken this shot. Light and drama are often the key ingredient to seascapes - this is a view to return to on another day maybe?

This is a nice, tranquil coastal scene. The shape of the tidal pools and reflections create strong foreground interest. However, the highlights are quite bright and I would be tempted to re-edit this photo, dragging the Highlights slider back to reveal more detail in the sky and reflections.

The coast is the best place to capture sunset colour. The incoming waves adds energy to this photo - and the wet sand reflects the light and colour. The silhouetted gulls provide interest and a natural focal point. An attractive and calming shot.

This is a simple but attractive composition. The shot is well timed, with the incoming wave leading the eye into the composition from the bottom left corner. I love the tones and textures in this shot - the saturated colours provide punch and impact.

Wow - what incredible light! Light is often the key ingredient to great landscape shot and in this instance it brings warmth, contrast, and drama to this impressive view. I love the mixture of shade, light, shade, which helps reveal the texture and detail within Death Valley. A well timed and captured image with instant impact.

I like the simplicity of this moody mono shot. The shape of the tree holds interest, and the distant figures add a focal point. I'm not sure the bench adds a huge amount to the composition, though. While this couldn't be removed physically, you could potentially remove it using a Clone, Healing or Remove tool. However, I'm not sure why the photographer has composed this photo so tightly and cut into the branches on the right of the frame. Visually, this feels awkward and unbalances the frame.

What a beautifully tranquil and calming image. I love the soft, muted tones and diffused misty mountains and reflections. I like the composition and negative space, which helps provide a sense of place, peace, and scale. A beautiful shot that I'm sure would look wonderful as a big print.

Although the highlights are a little too bright where the light strikes the top of the hills, I do like this photo. It is an attractive rural scene and I love the shape and flow of the landscape as the hills rise and fall. The livestock add interest and a focal point.

Pre-visualisation, patience, and anticipation are key skills for photographers. The ability to 'see' a photo and react will allow you to capture the 'decisive moment'. In this instance, the photographer has recognised this opportunity in advance and waited for the sailing boats to be in the optimum position (framing the Statue of Liberty) before triggering the shutter. It's a well balanced and captured photo - the atmospheric haze softens the image attractively.

Landscape photographers often obsess over achieving front-to-back sharpness. However, using a shallow depth of field - and deliberately throwing foreground detail out of focus - can really help direct the viewer's eye into the frame. In this instance, the blurry foreground works successfully by creating intrigue and depth.

This is a great mountainous landscape, but in my view, there is simply too much uninteresting foreground and this dilutes the impact and drama of the peaks behind. A longer focal length - or different viewpoint - would have worked better in this instance. There is also obviously vignetting that needs correcting.

This is a really impressive coastal view. The 'Chimney' provides a strong focal point - and the narrow aspect ratio is matched well to the scene. It's a shame that the tip of the central rock stack sits exactly on the horizon, but there is nothing the photographer could have done to prevent this. The horizon is slightly sloping and needs straightening.

This is a well constructed photo, but my slight concern is that - at first glance - it's not particularly obvious that it is an astro photo. The 'blue' sky and white cloud defy the fact this is shot at night - and the star trails are quite short and not particularly pronounced. I'm not an astrophotographer, but I'm guessing this was shot close to a full moon and the amount of moonlight is maybe more than optimum?