Push the limits

When I think of “Pushing the limit" I think of pushing the limit behind the lens. I always think the most difficult part about photography is being there. For this photographer, being in this flooded street of some kind is no easy task. Let alone capturing this man in his daily life. You can see the struggle and difficulty the man faces, in his hands and his hair. He’s knee-deep in water pushing a huge bike. This photographer had to push the limits not only to be here but to capture this man at this moment in time. It's a photo I could only dream to create.

I’m so glad this image is in black and white. Exposing snow is not easy and the photographer has done a wonderful job of exposing the textures of the snow without losing the darker areas. I really love the long shadows that the cornice is making in the middle of the image. Keeping everything sharp in an image when you are stood this far away is not easy at all – so nicely done with the high aperture. Great work.

As much as we see the “Feet hanging over something wonderful” image these days, when it's tastefully done like this I just can’t get enough. What really does it for me is the grated platform without any railings and being able to see through it and all around and beyond this person's legs. All I want to do is be there and look around, smell the fresh air and listen to all the nature that's around me. I love the use of a slightly shallow depth of field so we get a blurry background and a sharp foreground.

In 2011 I went on a skiing trip to Alaska and got to see some of the largest and steepest mountains my eyes have ever seen. This image really puts me on top of a peak and brings back all the emotions one experiences when they are there for themselves. I love the solitude as well. Everything is nicely sharp in this image and it has a great depth of field. I just wish I got to ride down with you too!

When I first looked at this image I was blown away at the lady on the wing doing stunts. Then after a few minutes of really looking at the plane I noticed she’s also the pilot (or at least we’re unable to see the pilot) and I thought about how one must practice such a skill. Something like this isn’t just a skill, it's a life dedication to be able to perform at such a level where you simply cannot make any mistakes. I visualise what it must be like to place yourself in this lady's shoes. It must be the absolute best feeling in the world.

This photo is what I was expecting to see people entering into a "pushing the limits" photo contest. As an avid outdoor adventure photographer myself this is both the style and location setting I dream about shooting. Placing, or leaving the person in orange is why this particular image landed 3rd place. It gives the viewer a sense of scale as well as allowing us to really visualise ourselves there, because someone is there! This is real, this is a place we can go, all we have to do is choose to go there.

This person is “pushing the limits” in a physical standpoint. The chose to jump or stay. I don’t know if I could ever choose to make the leap into a snowy abyss.

What I see straight away in this shot is a person who is “pushing the limits” in a physical standpoint. The choice is clear: do you jump or do you stay put? I don’t know if I could ever choose to make the leap into a snowy abyss! What I absolutely love is that the focus points are on the BASE jumper and that the fog between the jumper and the mountain behind him separate the two nicely. Great shot.

A few years ago I spent a month backpacking around Thailand with my girlfriend and my camera. I got to experience culture in a whole new way I had never experienced before: entire towns coming together for a single cause. I actually re-experience that here in this image, with the group of people all helping to move the boat. The symmetry of people and boat make this a very strong image. And I love that sky! Keep up the great work.

I can feel the wind in this image! With all the BASE Wingsuit jumping videos on the internet these days I can see myself going for a wild ride on the back of one of these people down into that beautiful valley. That is one very brave soul hanging their legs over the edge. The rule of thirds is used nicely in this photo, with the person sitting on the upper right intersection. The colour correction makes it very dreamy.

This bike racer looks like he is in a whole world of pain. I would love to see the face of the biker, so perhaps next time if you're shooting an event like this just wait for that moment when they look up. Seeing the facial expression of this person would really put it into perspective just how much energy is being exerted and used. Great composition – just a matter of seconds in time could make all the difference here.

I love motorsports photography. However, here's a bit of a tip on this image: I would like to see the shutter speed turned down a bit so as a viewer we can get more of a sense of speed. This motorcycle rider is probably riding as fast as he possibly can but we see him totally still in his movement. Add a bit of motion blur and we’ve got ourselves a very strong image that tells much more of a story about the raw speed of super bikes.

This is clearly a dramatic scene and when you have a person in the foreground acting as a subject with such spectacular scenery as a backdrop, you're gonna reach for your camera! But... I would LOVE to have more perspective on how far off the ground this photographer is standing. I would suggest opening up the lens a bit and letting the viewer see just how high up the guy is. Then you could have a photo that is not just kinda dramatic, it really is dramatic!

This dragster bike looks very, very badass. It's a shame that not all of it is in the frame, though. I would love to see the image taken just wide enough so I that can see the entire bike and the rider as well. Also, maybe if you had taken the shot a tiny bit later, we would be able to see the rear tyre burning out, which would have added more exciting content to the frame. Nearly there... good effort.

This is an interesting shot but I want to see more of the scene. I really REALLY want to know what the escaped driver of this car is looking at. Clearly something dramatic / exciting / dangerous is happening, or about to happen. I know it can be very difficult in such a fast-paced incident as a racing car accident, but I would suggest taking this shot a bit wider so the viewer can connect the dots from the driver to what the driver is looking at.