Pebbles, Stones and Rocks

A delightful scene and well photographed image with rocks in abundance. The relatively wide angle and low viewpoint adds a real dynamic to the shot. I love the colouring across the frame, and the balance of light is great. Your composition works well, with the prominent rocks and pools in the foreground drawing the eye into the scene and through to the wonderful rocky peaks in the background. Congratulations on your winning image.

Your capture of these rocks in the low golden sunlight has elevated the scene from something rather mundane to a lovely warm image. I like the composition with the strong diagonal across the frame. Exposure is just about right, as there is enough light to reveal details in the pebbles, but retaining an overall darkness to allow the rising sun to just pick out highlights. A simple but very pleasing image, well done on your top ten placing.

I am not always a fan of seascape images captured using a slow shutter speed which renders the water milky, as they can often seem to me rather clichéd and over-done. Here however, there seems a real purpose to the use of the long exposure, as the placement of the rocky forms within the shot gives the image an other-worldly feel, with the rocks rising out of the 'mist'. This mood is further enhanced by the cool blue tones throughout the image, which adds to the creativity of the shot. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

I am often fascinated by the stripes and bands of colour found in pebbles, and so it is wonderful to see a creative composition such as this where the pale bands within the darker pebbles are aligned in an attractive still-life, which is simple but very effective. I like that you have used natural rock for the background too, rather than sitting the stones on paper or fabric etc. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

A great abstract image with rocks filling the frame. It can be surprisingly difficult to achieve good composition in a shot such as this, but you have done especially well here. The diagonal line aids the strong composition, and you have wisely avoided the diagonal split running exactly from corner to corner, which has given more of a dynamic feel to the shot. I imagine the saturation of the colours has been boosted somewhat, but that works well in an abstract shot such as this, and emphasises all the variation of minerals making up the rocks. Lots of great textures captured too. Super image, well done on your top ten placing.

I love this abstract image of the rocks, as it is not totally clear exactly what we are looking at, or the scale, which I like. There is good detail in the rocks, and the muted colour palette suits the subject. A creative and artistic abstract which may not appeal to all, but I love it! Well done on your top ten placing.

This superb black and white image perfectly demonstrates the classic compositional "rules" of the rule of thirds, with the horizon on the upper third line and the large rock with the sun peeking behind positioned on the upper right intersection. The resulting image is very pleasing on the eye and a delight to view. The low viewpoint works really well and enables the beautifully lit pebbles in the foreground to be a strong element within the scene. The starburst sunlight has been perfectly positioned to bring a lovely sparkle without excessive blown out highlights. Excellent conversion to black and white with a full range of tones from black through to white, whilst still retaining a moody low key feel. Congratulations on your second place finish.

This super image shows a sweeping vista, predominated by various forms of rocks, making it a perfect subject choice for this contest. Composition and framing is great, as the curving line of the scree slope leads the eye gently across and into the image, to the peak in the distance. Good use of colour, with the warm golden hues in the foreground giving way to the cooler blue shades in the background. The slightly panoramic format works well, as there is plenty of space at the sides to prevent the subject being hemmed in, and the avoidance of too much sky keeps focus fully on the beautiful rocky landscape. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

Your wonderful capture of the light initially drew me to this image and invited me to further explore. The inclusion of the tiny figures hiking along the path gives a real sense of scale to these magnificent rock features. Colours have been well captured, retaining a naturalness but also keeping hold of the rich hues. The little pops of green from the vegetation supply some variety. Congratulations on your third place finish.