Landscape Photo Competition 2011 : Entry Number 892

Judges Comment

Striking tones and beautiful saturation. This astonishing and extraordinary seascape (from the edge of the world) is beautiful and haunting. Icebergs floating expectantly on the dead calm, the dark water beckoning, in a misty, eerie half-light… I love the low contrast lighting which the photographer has exposed and processed perfectly delivering all the power of this forbidding, fathomless place. The focussing gives extra strength, the depth of field spanning the whole picture, almost bringing us a third dimension in the perfectly sharp, touchable icebergs, and great detail in the looming clouds.

The composition is fine and the scene draws us comfortably in. The 2/3 sky is powerful and busy, the lighter tones there really setting off the ice in the opposing bottom 1/3. Quite wonderful, and the highlights so real.

So why is this not the winner? Well, it’s to do with comfort I suppose, and the feeling the photograph brews up. It very nearly was the winner but we can only have one of those, so the hurdle is high and faults must be exposed.

So…the framing along the bottom is a little tight and the icebergs in the foreground lack some of the space they deserve. A slightly lower angle therefore, whilst maintaining the 2/3 sky, and turning a touch to the right to better accommodate those mid distance icebergs, would have given extra strength to this near perfect composition. 2nd place and very nearly made it.

Photographers Comment

My name is Thomas Sass Pedersen. This shot was taken on a trip to Iceland with my father. I wanted to see the Jókulsárlón, which my father had never heard of and we ended up getting there in some tricky weather. I do think it enhanced the shot though. I do see the mentioning of the tight crop in the bottom of the picture. The reason for this tight crop is, that a straight line of black rocks didn't add to the frame. The gear used was a Nikon D700 with a Nikon 24-70mm lens. www.tsp-photo.com