Standing Stones, Megaliths and Stone Circles

This viewpoint of Stonehenge, probably taken using a drone, gives an interesting and unusual perspective on this iconic ancient site. Especially successful is the light, captured when the sun is low in the sky which creates long shadows of the stones, and reveals the form of the land with the varying ditches and ridges which are not always evideng at ground level or at different times of the day. We are just close enough to be able to appreciate the structure without it being too small. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

A fabulous moody shot of these iconic stones on Orkney. The cool purply-grey hues, with a dusting of snow on the ground and distant hillside really convey the chill of winter. Although the image is quite dark overall, the composition and viewpoint allow the stones to stand out against the lighter sky. Congratulations on your second place finish.

I love the atmosphere this image conveys. The weather helps create a stunning image, with the clear blue winter sky and icy blue snow. The starburst effect around the low sun adds to the image and somehow further conveys the chill of the winter. The composition of the standing stones is great, as they are close enough to be the subject but we have a good amount of the surrounding landscape to give context. Congratulations on your winning image.

On the face of it this is a simple image of the stone circle at Castlerigg at dawn, but unless an incredibly lucky accident, I imagine a great deal of planning went into this stunning capture - right day, right weather, right time, right viewpoint..... Technically well executed, exposure is spot on to allow both the subject to be visible, but to convey the atmosphere of the half-light at this time of day. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

Your early morning winter trek to capture these moortop stoned has certainly paid off with a super image. Captured as the sun has just appeared over the horizon, the weak sunlight casts a beautifully eerie glow across the land, picking out the lumps and bumps of the snowy ground and illuminating the stones from behind. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

The stone circle of Castlerigg was not surprisingly a popular subject choice in this contest, but this capture was my favourite. I love the tones of the image, with the stones become part of the landscape with matching colours, shapes ant tones. Your image description indicates this is a three-shot panorama, which I assume was made up by stitching three landscape-format images? However I wonder if the image could have been even more impactful if you had been able to take maybe five shots in portrait format, which would still have captured the stones, bug would have given us a little greater depth of the moody grey sky and a less exaggerated panorama. Still a fantastic image though. Well done on your top ten placing.

Beuatiful light, of either the early morning or late evening, really sets this image apart. I love the combination of the capture of the stones and also the wider landscape in which they sit. The slightly unusual composition, with the horizon positioned low in the frame, is effective as a consequence of the dramatic sky, which adds much to the image overall, but avoids dominating. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

A strong image, well composed to make the most of the stones and the surrounding landscape. I love the warm light, looking to be captured in the golden hour at the beginning or end of the day. The little reflection in the boggy puddle adds to the shot by bring a little patch of light to the ground. Well done on your top ten placing.

What I especially love about this image is that although it has undergone a fair degree of post-processing, it still looks incredibly natural with no harsh or garish editing effects. There is a great mood, aided by the presence of the moon, and the colours of the sky are lovely. We get a good view of a large number of the stones at this site, which really conveys a sense of the place. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.