Windmills and Wind Turbines

This image really conveys a sense of peace and calm, along with the crisp chill of a winter morning. Well composed, neither the mill nor its reflection are hemmed in, with plenty of breathing space all around the subject. The colours are great, with the orange of the reeds glowing in the golden light of the morning, contrasting well with the cool blue of the sky and its reflection in the water. Any post-processing has been done in a way that has ensured everything retains a natural look, which is very pleasing on the eye. Congratulations on your second place finish.

A lovely black and white shot capturing the flat landscapes of this part of Norfolk. The bridge invites the viewer to step into the scene over the water ditch and explore the windmill and little hut beyond. The conversion to black and white is very effective and the scene remains full of interest and detail, despite the absence of colour. Well done on your top ten placing.

A late addition to my top ten, this was an image I kept coming back to. An overcast sky may not always be a photographer's dream, but here it has served you well, as the flatter light has brought a gentle naturalness to the scene, with neither bright highlights nor deep shadows dominating. Green can be a surprisingly difficult colour to accurately capture in a photo, but here the mellow soft greens are lovely, bringing a mood of tranquility to the scene. The windmill is well-positioned in the composition, and it stands on its own clear of anything to interrupt the view. I am unsure if the people on the far left are passing cyclists, and if so it may have been good to let them pass out of shot, but if this is a popular cycling location, no doubt by then more would have been entering the frame from the right! Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

A beautiful evening capture of a typical Netherlands scene. The composition is well balanced with the raised bridge balancing the windmill, and the reflections of both being perfectly captured in the water. The use of an extended shutter speed has allowed the water to be perfectly smoothed, although from a personal viewpoint the effect on this has had on the sky is maybe a little less successful, especially the smudged strips of clouds on the top right. That does not distract however, and is a price worth paying for the calmness of the water. Colours are lovely too, perfectly conveying a mood of calm. Well done on your top ten placing.

A great perspective to show the details of the lattice framework of the windmill sails. It can be difficult to know how best to capture the essence of a windmill from up close, but you havd done a great job here, using a wide angle lens to make the most of the 'looking up' perspective. The diagonal framing contributes to a dynamic composition. Great use of black and white too. Well done on your top ten placing.

A fabulous capture of the light, with the sunlight highlighting the bright white blades of the turbines, set against the dark stormy sky. It is not always easy to compose a shot of wind turbines, due to their great height compared to their width, but you have done a good job here, as the grouping is well positioned in the frame, with plenty of space either side and above to prevent them looking cropped off. Likewise they are not distant specks on the horizon. Great capture, well done on your top ten placing.

A fantastic black and white image, full of great tones and contrast to really bring the scene to life. I can't be sure whether this is an added sky, or as found, but I really like how the shape of the clouds mimic the shape of the arms of the windmill, creating a very attractive image. I also like how what looks to be wild flowers in the foreground have been picked out in brighter tones, bringing interest and detail into what would otherwise be an expance of black. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

I love this unusual image, that demands a second look to fully interpret the abstract capture. I initially thought this was some kind of creative double exposure, with the white sails overlaying a sketch effect background. On closer inspection however, the image reveals itself as creative use of a long telephoto lens, which compresses the perspective and flattens the scene in an attractive way, whilst allowing the crisply focused sails to stand out from the backdrop. The image works well in black and white, as it simplifies the graphic of the subject. Congratulations on your winning image.

This is an image bursting with atmosphere, fully conveying the chilly beauty of a winter's morning in the countryside. The weak sunlight is penetrating the mist just enough to reveal the landscape, but still retains the atmosphere. I like that we see a touch of warmth in ghe light on the ground, maybe a promise of a glorious winter morning head once the mist has burnt off and the sun has melted the frost. I love the way the use of a long lens has compressed the perspective, and the windmill is ideally placed in the frame to be neither too close nor too distant. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

A classic scene of this wonderfully dilapidated windpump, which just demands to be photographed. I love the composition, with the building sitting on the left third line, and the distant view down the water channel on the right third line, bringing balance and harmony to the scene. The conversion to black and white has been done very well, with a good range of tones from black through to white, with details in all areas. Congratulations on your third place finish.