Up, up and away! Aerial shots

My overall judging criteria was based on adherence to the theme, originality, composition, focus, lighting, and other technical specs.

Congrats, Lee Mumford! This crisp shot of downtown Hong Kong shows just how congested this part of town is. The skyscrapers take up the entire frame and the alignment of the winding roads in the center balance the top and bottom sections of the photo. The roads also are a warm contrast compared to the cooler buildings.

This shot is also especially incredible because it's a testament to our society having built such amazing infrastructure in a relatively very short period of time.

Thanks for sharing!

I particularly wanted to review this image because of just how rare this experience is. Very few are ever able to say that they've flown fighter jets, which is why so many of us are in awe of what they represent - speed, power, and prestige.

The grayscale is also a nice touch given the zebra-like pattern of the jet itself and the colorless image almost makes you think that this a no-nonsense high-intensity situation.

Thanks for sharing!

I'm a huge fan of this shot because of all of the different elements. The shot is a great source of brain food.

I would love to know exactly where this is in Australia and at what altitude this shot was taken at. The varying thicknesses of the veins of the river and how they converge from many different directions is beautiful.

It's also incredible that this water system exists in what appears to be an otherwise arid environment - there is balance in nature.

There also appears to be copper-colored sections and I'm curious to know what causes that coloration.

All in all, this aerial shot is a testament to how grand this world is.

I wanted to review this shot because I'm a huge fan of the composition.

Although it is technically a shot from up above, I felt like it was better suited for a different competition where the theme is related to people, cultures, black and white, etc.

This ritual shows the resilience of belief and faith. Each person dearly holds to their customs and they are willing to test the conditions of the water.

This is a powerful shot because of all the movement. There is a leader at the bottom of the frame, each person is attentively holding their Kosha Kuri (copper spoon) and awaiting directions, the water flows between them, and nobody has any interest in the camera above. The focus from each person is tremendous.