Summer Light

There are many ways for photographers to create a new view of a familiar subject, and this long angle and wide aperture really ticks a lot of those boxes. There's a beautiful atmosphere, and the exposure has been carefully handled to avoid overexposure in the sky and the water.

The use of natural light here is stunning, and positioning the subject on the ground has given so wonderful out of focus areas in front and behind her. Adding a subtle gradient in Photoshop to help with the glow of the light has really enhanced the hazy atmosphere of a late summer evening. Well done!

What a golden vibe! The photographer has done so well to expose this image, throwing the kayaker and mountain into an almost-silhouette. What tops off the shot is the gentle reflection in the water, and the mist rising around the main subject. Brilliantly timed and executed!

Summer light tends to conjure up images of beaches, and sunset landscapes, but this entry takes us away from the unexpected, juxtaposing the bright and feminine pink outfit with the grey, masculine pavement. We particular enjoyed the long shadow created by a low summer sun.

What a dreamy – and different – representation of a seaside pier this is. While we were captivated by the golden sun that's been blurred across this scene to create an abstract, otherworldly effect, we were also left delightfully curious as to who this mysterious fisherman is, standing alone on the beach.

It's the framing that makes this shot so effective, as the photographer has done well to position the sun through the boat window so that it appears to stream through and round. Those sun rays add to the serene sunrise setting, and we like that the scene hasn't been overexposed – thus losing the atmosphere.

There's something mysterious and almost mermaid-like about this image, and the very wide aperture helps to create this effect. The use of summer light is gentle, hazy and soft on the subject, which suits the palette of tones and colors perfectly.

What a stunning portrait of a Kingfisher this is. We love how the branch weaves through the frame almost as a compositional device, but it's the golden circles of confusion in the background that really make this shot work (not to mention fit the brief of the contest). Great care has obviously gone into exposing for the summery tones – both shadows and highlights are well-maintained – and we don't lose the atmosphere of the low light setting.

Despite this image being in black and white, we can still get a sense of sunlight passing across the subject's face, which is impressive. We love the shallow focus which has been used to draw our attention to the subject's sharp eye, and we're left wondering what she can see that we can't!

We could pull out many successful elements to this image, but the wide aspect ratio and silhouetted exposure choice certainly make for a very cinematic result. We love how the dusty footballers in the distance are rendered as ghostly outlines, and how there's a slight glimmer of light in the foreground leading our eye through.

This stunning portrait has many layers of depth to it, despite the wide aperture that the photographer used to capture it. The subject's head garment means that she blends into her environment perfectly, and the dappled rays of light leaking through the top right hand corner almost make us feel like we are there with her. Well done!

This abstract image is clever, in that it possesses none of the usual colored light that's associated with summer – and yet we don't feel it could have been taken at any other time. The blue sky is what makes us feel summery, and capturing a reflection is a great use of light when interpreting our brief.

Tuscany, Italy, is always a popular subject for capturing summer light, and while this example doesn't necessarily break any boundaries, it doesn't need to. It's a quintessential summer landscape, yet the portrait orientation is pleasing, as it leads our eye across the undulating layers of golden hues, fading away into the distance.

It's so hard to capture a compelling image in the middle of the day during summer. Here, the photographer has tried a completely different approach and used infrared – which suits the time of day and leafy subject perfectly! A long exposure was also a clever way to soften the sky against the central tree.