The Essence of Reykjavik

This shot gets my final judge's top ten. It isn't the sharpest of shots if you look closely, and I kept thinking about it because the bit of debris or rock in the foreground draws the eye away from the centre of attention. However, I find the image appealing because the warmth of the lights inside the buildings draws the eye, and gives comfort against the harsh cold exterior of the mountains - very reminiscent of Reykjavik. Gritty, no frills. 10th place.

Another popular theme, the stunning glass cubes of the futuristic Harpa building. We had some excellent glass cube entries, I chose this shot because it gets the viewer up close and personal to the extra dimensional cubes, and taken at a great angle. Lots of clarity and the colour detail is nice. It's like being inside a tesseract! Uniquely shot and uniquely Reykjavik. Nicely done, 8th.

Another well crafted shot of the Sun Voyager, I didn't include this one in judges top ten but it is an eye catching effort and I know it was popular with the community. We had a lot of Sun voyager entries so couldn't include them all! Well done anyway

Another really well done capture of this famous colourful cityscape. Soothing yet vibrant colouring and excellent DOF. Nicely contrasted and just plainly Reykjavik, fulfilling the brief. Taking a clear stunning shot from the top of Hallgrímskirkja church is not easy (as I know having tried), so very well done this is a great result. 3rd place.

Hallsgrimskirkja Or Church of Hallgrimur. Probably the most recognisable church in the northern hemisphere, and uniquely Reykjavik. Lots of nice entries of this church but I like this particular capture, which is dramatically contrasted to show off the no-frills stonework and encapsulates the drama of this unique building. Works very well in monochrome finish. Essence of Reykjavik - job done, well done. 5th place

6th place goes to this clever shot of the ever-stunning Harpa building (clearly one of the most recognisable in the city), this reflective shot shows off the geometrics and stunning glass to good effect. The DOF is pretty good as is the filtering effect in the sky which mirrors nicely in the water. The photo is Visually pleasing to the eye. Uniquely Reykjavik, which is what we were looking for. Cleverly composed, good job.

The Blue Lagoon....oh what I'd do for a dip on a cold winters day. I have included this photograph because let's face it, it cannot be anywhere else other than the Blue Lagoon near Reykjavik. Iceland is synonymous with geothermal power and that's partly what the essence of Iceland is. This soothing image makes me want to get my bathing costume on and slink into the water. Plus it was the only entry depicting thermal energy, so I have included it at 9th place. Subtly done.

Appealing shot of one of the many colourful shop corners in the bustling unique streets of the small city., which has so much character and colour, and this is nicely captured here. Clearly a summer shot, as people are sitting out on the pavements enjoying the sunshine - which is nice to see that the sun really does shine in Reykjavik!

Taking a clear photograph of this sculpture is not at all easy to do - especially if its blowing a gale and snowing as per the last time I tried! Not a bad job at all here, despite the bad weather conditions and grim light.