December 2020 Competition ‘Landscapes & Seascapes’
Our Judge for this month Ann Dickson – Ann@naturesphotos.co.uk
Beginners:
Calm Sea: Jim Cawkwell. The dark blues and whites of the sea mimicking the sky works very well with the red boat. It could be improved if the horizon was not in the centre of the image. To me it looks like the image has been cropped to much as you have lost the quality of the picture.
Dusk: Carly Price. Great idea of capturing the waves at dusk. The horizon is not level and again the photo is split in half try more foreground interest next time. Love the warm of the sky and waves are very well caught the correct shutter speed.
Lonesome Pine: Sylvia. Be careful with a title like this as the pine is a very small part of the picture. Very well exposed but try just a pity that one circle of rock at the bottom right is cut in two. It is so easy just to concentrate on one part of the image and forget about looking around the frame on the back of the camera, then get home to find you have chopped a bit off.
Who’s House: Sylvia The rocks have textures and colours that need to be enhanced with either the sun or Photoshop. The position of the house is in just the right place but just come in with the crop to avoid the pipe and the vegetation on the left. Either put the whole plant in or crop it out. Well done for dragging a camera up there.
Rocks: Sylvia Price. Commended The textures are wonderful but it could do with more contrast either with the sun or in Photoshop afterwards just a pity the top right rock is chopped off. If you could go back on a sunny day the colours would stand out more but that is easier said than done.
Rocks At Bay: Carly Price Highly Commended The photographer has done well on a dull day to place the background in a positions of not interfering with the foreground. The right hand side is very dominating so have a try with a different crop.
View From Highest Point: Jim Cawkwell. 3rd Place Here the contrast from the clouds works so well. The greys and yellows turn to distance purples. Very well exposed in the shadows and the light of the buildings. The roads lead the way into the picture without the roads your eyes have nowhere to go.
View from Cotillo: Jim Cawkwell. 2nd Place The dark fore ground contrasts well with the light on the beach I do like the light rocks on the right hand side it gives drama to the image I would be temped to just have the right hand half of the photo as the left with the hut and flag are far away Well exposed I don’t thing that the photo benefits from all the white sky. But it contrast well with the dark rocks.
Three Sisters: Carly Price. 1st Place I love the letter box shape of this crop, it works so well with the stream running down through the image on the right hand side. The greens are handled well and you can feel the mist coming down .
Intermediate:
Evening Shoot: Gwynn. Again lovely foreground interest but to much sky at the top with nothing in the top quarter of the image the wind pump is just a bit too central. I wonder what the image would have looked like just after the sun went down, this may not have been possible.
EZY8535 to Fue: Andy Hobbs. A very different image indeed , I do like the shadows from the clouds on the left side, but find my eyes are not finding anywhere to rest and look at. The bottom has a mark on the left hand side so I would have cropped it out as there is a lot of empty blue sea. Very different but it could do with a title or is this the plane number – the poor judge doesn’t know this.
Las Penitas Lake: Gwynn. Very different to see a lake from this angle, there is more rocks and vegetation than lake .Your eyes are drawn towards the large rock on the left then you follow the smaller rocks around to the water and back to the green shrub the tops of the trees would have been an advantage.
Playa Blancal: Daz. A great panorama just a pity there was not more of the street on the left and the bottom of the shore at the bottom. I love the colours. For me not knowing what is on both the right and the left sides let it down a bit.
Scotland Easdale: Daz. The conversion to mono on what looks like a grey day works in this image but the blacks in the mountains and water side bank shows no details, the vinyet works well at the top but the details are lost in the bottom just a pity the boat is missing the left side .
The One That Got Us: Gwynn. The rock on the right is over bearing with a horizon that is not level. The blue sky and white waves works well but the shutter speed is to slow to capture the waves. Hope you did not get too wet.
Vallebron: Andy Hobbs. Good foreground but lacking anywhere for the eye to rest on. There is something on the left-hand side but you cannot make it out.. Sometimes and image needs to be cropped carefully as this picture looks like the base of the mountains are sliding towards the right hand side of the image.
Across The Lake: Keith Dawson. Commended A wonderful reflection on a beautiful day. Your eyes are drawn to the white building in the middle of the image , for me there is little interest on the right hand side so the pictures would have benefited from moving the camera around slightly and placing the house towards the right hand side therefore allowing the bottom of the hill to reach the left hand side of the image . Although pleasant the image may look stronger if in a letterbox format.
At The Top Looking Down: Keith Dawson. Highly Commended Great foreground interest but too much sky the leading line of the road is wonderful but after the end of the road you are drawn to the white waves then up to the sky it is too dominate for the picture Great colours and use of the clouds to make contrasting patterns on the ground.
Majanicho Sunset: Andy Hobbs. 3rd Place Wow the light and dark of the sand and rocks works well with the grass adding extra interest the sun is blown out as it is the sun the clouds have lots of colour and I wonder again if you had waited a little bit longer for the sun to set then the white of the sun would not be as distracting it is interesting to see a portrait sunset and not the normal landscape picture.
Turbines: Keith Dawson. 2nd Place I so love the colours in this image the image has movement in the blades of the turbine but there is no camera shake movement. I would have liked to see the turbines on the right of the image and be able to see more of the right possible to zoom out with the lens or your feet.
Llyn Bochlwyn: Daz. 1st Place A wonderful reflection of the lake on a clear day the top half of the sky adds very little to the image other than to say what a wonderful day it was. The image is all about the beautiful reflection the only small light area is the rock at the bottom left I would have cropped that off or darken it
down as I do like the little rock in the bottom right corner pointing up.
Experienced:
Cornish Coast: Alan Hillman This photo is held back due to the fence in the foreground, the post and rails stop you, the shadow is a positive point but where once was a gate the rails add nothing . It would have been better if you had lent on the rails to take the image. There is plenty of detail on the left especially with the ploughed field.
Cornish Landscape: Alan Hillman. Ok you are the experience group so there is no excuses. You chopped a sheep in half! The sheep give foreground interest great colours but lighten up the cliff as there is details lost. Also get rid of the pole in the trees.
Cornish Tranquillity: Alan Hillman. A pleasant image but the two people are distracting as the title is called tranquillity it is therefore not about the couple well exposed but lose the couple.
Dead Wood: Alan Sheridan. Great depth of field I do like the way the photographer has placed themselves with the tree to the left of the image with the tree coming in at the top left. Great shadows and interest in the foreground as well as seeing into the distance.
Dreaming: Carol Sheridan. I like the idea but the man is blurred, for me there is too much sky. The important part of the image is the rocks and sea if there was less sky then the rocks would look more impressive in the photo.
El Toston Final: Wendy Kerr. For me this is an image of two halves the lighter left hand side where our eyes are drawn to and the darker right side. I do prefer the right as the clouds and hills have more interest in I want to look at that side and wonder why the car is there.
Eventide: Carol Sheridan. Your eyes are drawn the brightest part of the picture, but I am struggling to find a focal point of the photography.
La Pared: Duncan Gray. I would have liked to sea more of the sea at the bottom of the image but the waves colours and mountains are very well exposed going of from the yellows to the purples in the distance
Lake Bohini: Duncan Gray. Mist and the snow on the mountain tops allows your eyes to more around this image, the reflection of the trees on the lake works very well, I would like to see more on the left as the road goes out of the photo.
Lighthouse: Alan Sheridan. This mono image is lacking contrast. The rocks are too black with the ones in the front out of focus. The lighthouse is too central, try a different crop with the left hand side of the cropped off.
Lobos In Negative Mode: Steve Hall. Ok just because you can do this effect you still need composition in the image the horizon is higher on the left side and the building are cut in half on the left.
Montana Hendida: Duncan Gray. Great contrast of colours in the rocks along with the criss crossing of the slopes works well the red rocks stand out, the sky is so blue its distracting and could benefit with toning down if possible.
Moody Afternoon: Steve Hall. The yellows of the bales mimic the cooling towers and also hold your attention in the foreground as well as giving you scale in the image, but the right hand side lane is not needed.
Morning Has Broken: Helen. The yellows and blues being opposite sides of the colour wheel work just a pity the depth of field is too shallow to capture the houses on the right hand side. Your eyes are drawn the brightest part of the picture, but I am struggling to find a focal point of the photography.
No Surfing Today: Helen. The horizon is cutting the middle of the picture in half with a blank blue sky at the top of the image, if the photographer had turned to the right more then the red flag would not be in the centre.
River Soar: Keith Vincent. Great image just a pity the photographer did not get rid of the plastic bottle in the tree once seen it never forgotten. The image does however give off a since of peace and tranquillity.
Rough Seas At El Cortillo: Helen. It may be rough seas but the image has three fishermen in the foreground and your are drawn to them before you see the waves, possible a different title as the waves do not look to rough . Having said that the image is very bright and looks blown out in places.
Solitude: Keith Vincent. I am sorry I do not get the title, as there is three wind swept trees lots of empty sky and mountains. Everything is a bit to far away to find a focus point of the image.
Start: Carol Sheridan. Not sure if this is the start or the end of the trainers, a bit central but a very creative image and use of a focal point with a shallow death of field. Possible try and move the trainers so they are not facing the same way to give added interest.
Witch Mountain: Alan Sheridan. The sky is lacking detail and merges into the sea, the mountain is the focal point but your eyes are gently drawn around the image until you reach the mountain. The dark areas are slightly distracting along with the white on the edge of the left hand side.
Sunset At Playa Jarubio: Wendy Kerr. Highly Commended Great detail in the vegetation, on the left perhaps the right hand side could have had some post production on the right hand side vegetation. There is a slight halo on that side but that is being me being picky . A great image.
Dawn At La Guirra: Wendy Kerr. 3rd Place Wonderful long exposure on the sea, the clouds a slight movement but it is not distracting . Great detail on the sand and matching yellow colours of the building and the sky.
Knaresborough In A Bubble: Steve Hall. 2nd Place I am not sure how this was done but it matters not as it’s a very pleasing image, you can look at the detail in this photo for ages it captures the imagination , a limited colour palette which works very well.
La Pared: Keith Vincent. 1st Place Its about the most wonderful breaker in the middle I don’t need the right hand side with the rock in the sea then the wave would look bigger in the image. The contrast of dark background and degration to pale grey contrast with white wave just works
