No Sky - Rural Landscapes

A fabulous abstract landscape shot, captured from high above the snowy ground and pine trees to offer a perspective on the scene that is full of impact. To some there may be little of interest to hold the attention, but I find the image quite fascinating, with so much detail for the eye to explore. I imagine this would look great enlarged and hung on the wall. Simple but effective. Congratulations on your winning image.

A great capture of an iconic location. What I especially like is the naturalness of the image, with nothing over-processed, and no overstaurated colours. Whilst a slower shutter speed has been used, you have avoided the rather clichéd look of so many long exposture water shots, where the water is blurred to such an extent it looks unnatural and very far from the beauty that nature gives us. The colours are lovely, with purply browns and greens filling the frame. Well done on your top ten placing.

There were quite a number of entries of settings similar to this, but this one was the stand-out one for me. The lighting is the key to the success of the image, and captured at any other time of day, such as when the sun was much higher in the sky, the play of shadows on the multiple undulations would have been nowhere near as impactful. Filling the frame with the subject bring an added abstract feel to the shot, but still retains so much of interest to allow the eye to wander and explore. Congratulations on your third place finish.

A simple but effective composition, and a great example of the benefits of excluding sky from a landscape photo. Instead of a sky dominating or distracting, full focus is on the lines, colours, shapes and patterns created by the landscape. Lighting is lovely, with some gentle highlights and shadows to help shape the scene. Being critical I would do away with the digital signature, which I find distracting and it does take something away from the impact overall. That aside, a great image, well done on your top ten placing.

This scene has been extremely well observed, to notice the hotch-potch of shapes of the fields with their dividing walls, and recognise the potential for a great shot. Composition and framing is simple but effective, with the tree positioned centrally and low in the frame, and the wall-lines breaking up the expanse of green in the upper section of the frame. I like that you have not tried to clone out the little specks of the sheep, as that may have lead to the scene looking a little too clean and clinical. Well done on your top ten placing.

I love the simplicity of this shot, with the walls placed centrally in the frame and the little barn giving some clue as to what we are looking at. A strong photographic eye has realised the potential for a great shot. Not having seen the image in colour, I am unsure whether the decision to convert to black and white works for the better, but I think I may have been tempted to lighten the tones of the fields a little, although I can see that potentially could mask the line of highlights running along the top of the walls. Still a great image however, well done on your top ten placing.

A great example of the type of image I was hoping to see in this contest, where without sky visible, the scene becomes more a set of abstract lines, shapes and patterns. This effect has been aided by the use of a longish lens, which has had the effect of compressing the perspective to further add to the abstract feel. Very well composed, with the frame divided in two top to bottom, with the lower section further divided diagonally by the hedge line. An image I appreciate more the more I look. Congratulations on your second place finish.

I love the autumnal shades in this image. Whether natural or adjusted in editing they create a lovely mood. By excluding the sky, the shapes and form of the ground is accentuated. The snaking line on the join between the orange and golden brown field leads the eye nicely to the tree. You have captured some lovely textural details in the fields with the various ploughing/harvesting lines, which brings richness and interest to the landscape. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

This is just the type of image I was hoping to see in this contest, where the landscape has been transformed into a visually pleasing display of shapes, colours and patterns. By including the line of trees, you have avoided the scene becoming a little too abstract. Colours are gorgeous, with the warm and sunny rich greens and browns. Composition works well, with enough of the patchwork of fields included to give a good sense of the wider landscape. Well done on your top ten placing.

A great abstract shot. It is difficult to get any sense of the scale, but I think that is partly why I like the shot, as it leaves the viewer wondering. A simple composition, but one that is effective, with the scene made up only of stripes of land and water in the rice terraces. Well done on your top ten placing.