Landscape Photo Competition 2013 No 5 : Results

Judges Comment
It’s a rainbow and the worthy winner of this round. Let this stunning simplistic photograph be an example to all. A rainbow, or any other one of nature’s incredible turns, make wonderful subjects for a photo, particularly for a nature photo. But you haven’t just photographed a rainbow here, you have kept your cool and found an extraordinary composition where the rainbow fits in as perfectly as a cherry. Beautiful lines and light, a fitting square format and very fine photography technique set you apart from the pack. Big congratulations, this round was pretty tough.
Photographers Comment
My name is Ronald, living in Brussels, Belgium. I took this picture while I was driving under the rain on the Belgian highway. I saw that the bad weather was about to stop and some great light waiting for me... So I decide to take the next exit and I end up in this field, stormy weather on one side, sun going out on the other side, the rainbow in between, a moment of few seconds and a picture… I used my Nex 6 with a 50 mm 1,4 Canon FD lens. Cropped and slightly enhanced in Lightroom. I’m so pleased that this picture won the first place. Thank you so much! Ron.
www.ronaldgrauer.com

Judges Comment
A difficult subject to approach because it has been done so often before, but you have managed this quite beautifully. Wonderful play with lines and shapes make an awesome composition with perfect exposure and subtle darkroom technique. The black and white accentuates the wind lines and creates an eye stopping image. Well done!

Judges Comment
This is a breathtaking and very complicated photograph. I suspect you have made two (or several) exposures to get this magnificent Milky Way result. Your composition is beautiful and all tones have been respected. I tip my hat to you, just brilliant.
Photographers Comment
My name is Joshua Zhang. I'm a amateur photographer, I took this photo at Kiama, NSW, 110km from Sydney. Which is famous for it's cathedral shaped rock by the sea. This is a single shot, it's during high tide, the risk for staying at the same location was very high. I took few test shots before I found the best location. Single shot processed in photoshop and lightroom.Modified color balance to intense the milky way
500px.com/ShihuaZhang

Judges Comment
Well here is the drama. This is an amazing shot and i love the gentle HDR style here. This really is « nature at its best ». Well done.
Photographers Comment
I name is Joshua Zhang. I took this photo at Kiama, NSW. 110 KM from Sydney. Due to the shape of the rock I didn't use any filter, I took three exposures, one for the sky, one for the rock and one for the moving water, then hand blend them in photoshop.
500px.com/ShihuaZhang

Judges Comment
This is so original. You certainly know what you are doing. It is a very bold short depth of field but so very effective, the low angle really powerful. Great work, more please!
Photographers Comment
Thank you for the Mark Of Excellence and your comments! I took this photo down by the beach (Budleigh Salterton, UK) using a Sony A300 DSLR. (The tilting live-view screen came in pretty handy!) Taken at 28mm full-frame equivalent focal length, widest aperture (f/3.5) & manual focus.
www.flickr.com/photos/samuelmortimer/

Judges Comment
A lovely shot of this snow scene. Your composition is superb, the stones then the yellow larch trees leading us into the cold snowscape. The very long exposure has worked wonders to the sky, making the ground that much sharper too. Nice use of your neutral density filters has allowed you to get all tones perfectly exposed. Love this.
Photographers Comment
Thanks for the mark of excellence! I took this shot with freezing hands and soggy feet. Used a 10 Stop ND to get this beautiful creamy sky. Congratulations to the Winner! It's a really nice shot with a good composition and beautiful light situations. Please feel free to visit, like and follow my facebook page. Greets from Switzerland, Tobias
www.facebook.com/tobiasryser.photographie

Judges Comment
A room with a view. This is beautiful and very original, refreshing and fun. Thanks.
Photographers Comment
Thank you for the feedback and the 'mark of excellence', much appreciated! I'm Britta, originally from Germany and now living in the US. This was taken on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon with my Rebel t3i - this hut used to belong to the US Guano Corp, which mined guano (look it up if you don't know what that is!) from a bat cave across the canyon. I loved the almost-fake look of the Canyon view from the remains of this hut, and although the day was a bit overcast, the light was just right. The image was slightly tweaked with Snapseed for a touch more saturation and sharpness.

Judges Comment
This is beautiful. Your composition is perfect, the atmosphere sublime. Your attention to detail and the perfect exposure make this a gem. Well done this is a definite favourite.
Photographers Comment
Thank you so much. My name is Charlotte Ballenger and photography is my passion. This is a local spot that was quite magical with a recent cold snap. Amazing images here. Thanks again for the honor.
charlotteballenger.com

Judges Comment
I love the movement here and the way you have made this cereal crop dance. The black and white finish is perfect, the composition a real pleasure to admire over and over. Well done.
Photographers Comment
Many thanks for awarding my photo. My name's Ron Pilcher and this was taken on a windy summers day at Ashbury Hill, Oxfordshire, England. I used a Canon 5D MkII with a Canon16-35mm f/2.8L and the image was converted to B/W using Lightroom 5 with a preset yellow filter added to increase the sky/cloud definition and lighten the barley. I also gave it a bit more of a tweak, by adding a medium-contrast curve and a dollop of Lightroom's Punch! Please check out my Flickr site. It has a lot of macro work, but also other stuff, including landscapes. Thanks again and congratulations to the winner.
www.flickr.com/photos/59604760@N04/

Judges Comment
Fabulous photograph, get this into an art gallery fast.
Photographers Comment
Hey there, thank you very much for the mark! My name is Diogo Andrade. I'm a 28 years old Portuguese citizen, based in Milan. This foto was made on a cold and foggy morning in Abbiategrasso, near Milan and it's part of an ongoing project called "Solo la Nebbia" (Only the fog). You can see more of my work on:
www.behance.net/diogo_andrade