New Joiners - Landscapes #929

I love the cool, 'twilighty' tones in this long exposure seascape. The pier makes a great subject and the 20-second exposure has reduced the sea to an ethereal blur. The strip of wet, reflective sand adds interest to the foreground. The area of lighter cloud helps highlight the building, adding depth to the shot overall. A well composed and exposed shot.

Living in Cornwall, Land's End is a location I know well. It is a stunning stretch of coastline and Enys Dodnan rock arch is a great subject for long exposure photography. Given the dull conditions, I think the photographer has corrected opted for a tight, vertical composition - doing so has helped minimise the amount of uninteresting sky in the frame. In my opinion, the shot looks a bit too bright, though. The photographer has increased shadow detail on the arch to a point where it looks false. Personally, I'd re-edit this file and be less aggressive with the exposure and shadow sliders.

This is well constructed composition. The viewer's eye follows the wall winding through the scene. The mixture of light and shadow creates engaging depth and contrast. The sky is active and attractive. However, I do find the patch of bare soil (on top of the wall) in the bottom left corner a little distracting - the photographer could have easily excluded this area by taking a step forward.

This is a brilliantly simple but beautiful photograph. The mirror-like reflection provides a powerful, symmetrical composition. The wispy high cloud creates an interesting sky. Reflections are always darker than the scene itself. However, I might be tempted to lighten-up the reflection very slightly, just to even out the exposure between sky and water. A very impressive and enticing scene.

I think this is a really impactful and engaging composition. The photographer has done well to 'see' this shot. No doubt, it would look great as a contrasty black and white image too. My one criticism is that depth of field is too shallow in my opinion. The One Way sign is not in sharp focus due to the large f/3.5 aperture used. A smaller aperture, in the region of f/11 or f/14, would have produced a sharper result overall.

Although this is a fabulous scene, boasting lovely reflections and colour, sadly it is simply not sharp enough. Overall image quality undermines this shot and prevents it from being commended. Ideally, a slightly wider focal length (to include more of the mountain peaks) would have suited the scene better.

This is a well seen, captured, and edited image. The verdant, backlit foliage adds colour impact to the shot. The overhanging branches are thoughtfully placed and provide an engaging partial frame. The sunstar adds a focal point, and the little footpath neatly leads the eye into the composition. The horizon appears to be sloping, but this might be a visual illusion due to the number of little islands. A well constructed and captured landscape.

You either love or hate this abstract style of photography. This is a very subtle, painterly image that you appreciate the longer you look at it. I love the colour palette of soft, pastel tones. The texture of the water and faint outline of boats shrouded by mist create an eerie, atmospheric result. Personally, I'm a lover! How about you?

I like the graphic nature of this shot. Lens flare has reduced overall contrast, which is a slight shame, but it is a striking composition that would work well without the distraction of colour. I would switch to black and white and also quickly remove some of the clutter poking out the water in the foreground using a Clone or Healing tool.

Always check your files for dust spots. You can clearly see a few 'dust bunnies' in the sky in this image. They are distracting, but easily removed using a Clone or Healing brush or Generative Fill. This is a nice image captured in soft, warm light. It just maybe lacks an obvious focal point, though.

As foreground interest goes, two posing elephants isn't bad, is it? What a fantastic vista that really captures the enormity of Kilimanjaro with the elephants creating a key focal point and providing a sense of scale too. I do find the bush toward the bottom left corner a little distracting - a slight crop would easily resolve this. A lovely image.

Although - viewed full size - this image isn't quite as crisp and sharp as I'd like, it is a really lovely wintry scene. The dark tree trunks contrast wonderfully well with the white snow and create a lovely natural pattern. An eye-catching shot.