Landscape Photo Competition 2014 No 1 : Results
- Competition Winner : First Prize
- $535.20 plus a Leica C camera worth $700
- Judges Comment
- Just stunning. My first impression upon seeing this photograph was that the subject of ice on black sand wasn’t very original. Those famous Icelandic beaches are amongst the world’s most sought after locations after all, and many beautiful photographs have been taken there. I did though put it directly into the final selection basket because it is technically so beautiful. Later, during a very close inspection of all the final images, when the smallest of details can mean win or lose , the fantastic technical qualities of this photograph became so apparent. This is as good as they get. The composition is beautiful, balanced, peaceful and perfect. The exposure is filtered, whites and blacks cleverly respected, whilst the aperture and shutter speed have been beautifully balanced to create this amazingly real oceanic atmosphere. The aperture has brought sharpness all the way into the corners, the shutter speed has given a perfect dose of life-giving movement to the sea, the power of the waves still visible, the surf drawing important lines. I have mentioned the importance of neutral density grad filters in landscape photography in several of my critiques this round, (see critiques), and here we see the beautifully toned sky and the top bottom exposure balance which can be obtained with them. You have, after the perfect photo session, gone on to very subtly develop your photograph, maintaining the cool tones, adding that little punch, that slight vignette… Congratulations, this can be the only winner this round.
- Photographers Comment
- First off, thank you so much! This is a huge honor to take first place, especially considering the outstanding images from all the others in the winners circle. I made this photo last September on Jökulsárlón Beach while assisting Bruce Percy on one of his fantastic photo tours. Every morning we pulled up to this beach, we were greeted with an entirely different scene. Depending on the tides and winds, you could have tiny jewel sized chunks of ice, up to huge cobalt blue icebergs the size of trucks. Needless to say, the subject matter here is dynamic, varied, and captivating. Nikon D800, Zeiss 21mm lens, Lee filter system ~ 2 stop hard nd grad, Gitzo Mountaineer tripod, Achratech Ultimate Ballhead and most importantly: Knee high water proof neoprene boots made by Bogs, with these amazing boots, I was able to get dangerously far out into the surf, be warm and dry, as well as have the thick neoprene shield my shins from all the icebergs slamming against my legs.
- lucidlandscape.com/iceland/
- Mark Of Excellence
- Judges Comment
- This is an amazing photograph. A beautiful short depth of field really gives importance to the poppy heads, delicate tones and dark colours give the whole a marvellous feel. The composition is nice and calm and divided by the book into thirds ( interestingly, and by the way, the top 1/3 the exact mirror of the top 1/3 of the 2nd placed snow scene). It is a becoming and original shot, well done.
- Photographers Comment
- Thank you very much for your mark of excellence - my name is Robert Robertson - I live in Melbourne, Australia - this photograph was taken in Tasmania near Ulverstone using an Olympus EM1 and 75mm Oly lens, with a little sharpening and reduction of clarity in Adobe Camera Raw. This is a crop of opium poppies. I have been passionate about photography for around 9 months - and can't imagine why I didn't discover it years ago (I actually did as a 10 year old when I developed and printed my own B/W photos - and now after 50 more years have rediscovered it) I have not had a chance to open a website yet - but certainly will in the near future - I post on Face book as Robert Robertson. Thank you.
- Mark Of Excellence
- Judges Comment
- It is the way you have captured and developed the light here which makes this so delightful. (sorry) But it is. Again we have those famous thirds and a nice simple composition with sharp detail and beautiful exposure. A nice example of a sunset (or sunrise) without the damage from the sun itself. Great shot which you obviously researched well.
- Mark Of Excellence
- Judges Comment
- Fantastic play with the lines of the hedgerows and also the tractor tracks, well spotted, and of course this fleeting light which brings so much colour and contrast. Great photograph.
- Mark Of Excellence
- Judges Comment
- Well this has been done often before but you have done it very well! All lines lead to the centre of this Glen. You have split your composition straight across the middle to create those strong lead lines and you have given us a true feel of this highland scene. Your tonal processing is nice but has given the detail a rather grainy effect, though i do like the sepia look here.
- Photographers Comment
- This photo was taken in Glencoe, Scotland just before Christmas 2013. I battled strong winds, visibility of less than 10 metres in places, rain so heavy it was painful and bitter cold but it was all worth it for the shots I got. I had to wait for an hour in the car until the conditions were right for this shot, and the weather was so bad I only had a couple of minutes before I had to retreat again.
- www.lauchlandphotography.com
- Mark Of Excellence
- Judges Comment
- Beautiful high key, crisp landscape. You have created a wonderful 3 way bounce within this image, the eye tirelessly jumping from tree to houses to the other tree over your bleak but beautiful landscape. A definite favourite from the start.
- Photographers Comment
- This photo is taken on the southern point of Öland, an island outside the Swedish southeast coast. It´s a cold January day, it´s afternoon and the sun is just above the horizon. The landscape is in summer reminding of an African landscape. There are lots of bird in this area, in the autumn migrating birds in great numbers are resting or passing by. I have a house and a gallery 10 minutes from here. Bengt Kallenberg, Sweden
- www.kallenbergphoto.com
- Mark Of Excellence
- Judges Comment
- Here you have seized all the power and indeed the beauty of a breaking wave, you have captured the movement at the most perfect moment, it is quite stunning. The cropped format suits the picture well, the background rocks bringing a taste of a truly wild location. I like the applied blur on the foreground water, it brings us back into the wave, but i don’t like the effect brought on by the blur on the rocks which takes away the beautiful feel of the real.
- Photographers Comment
- Thank you so much for the honor!! This photo was taken at Pacifica Ca. this past winter. The camera is a Sony SLT A65V. I was using a 200-500 zoom and this was hand held. Shutter speed 1/1600, f5.6, ISO 100. Thank you again for recognizing my work. Colleen Renshaw
- Mark Of Excellence
- Judges Comment
- Beautiful use of shapes and colour contrast make this a great shot. The HDR effect takes us to the edge of traditional photography techniques but in this case i feel it helps bring a little creative punch to the picture. Well done.
- Photographers Comment
- I decided to visit this famous little tree in the fall in hopes of capturing its red event, but when I finally found it, it was a yellowish color. At first I thought I had the wrong tree! After visiting with the locals, they explained to me that the Japanese Maples in this area only turn yellowish during low rain years. The lower the rain, the more yellow the color before it turns red, and then the red is not as fiery. And the yellow color is very fleeting - only a couple weeks max usually. I set up my equipment and waited to shoot images when the sun was at its brightest during thinning cloud cover. I was informed that rain was on its way, so I only had an hour or so. When the diffused bright sun filtered through the yellow leaves along with a warm camera filter, The Golden Age was recorded. And then it poured! To this day, I have only seen this tree yellow only in a couple photographs.
- craigbill.com
- Mark Of Excellence
- Judges Comment
- What an incredible place for this tree to cling on to life! An appealing photography subject which you have handled very well. The choice for black and white adds to the misty atmosphere and helps the tree’s rock really pop out. Nice.
- Photographers Comment
- Thank you so very much and I am Honored. This image was taken with a Canon Infrared modified t4i and a Nikon 14-24mm lens. It was shot at the Grand Canyon, Arizona in the summer 2013 during tropical storm IVO. This is one of my favorite trees and I was finally able to capture it in the mood I was looking for.