Landscape Photo Competition 2013 No 2 : Entry Number 504

This competition's winner. The scenery, the composition, the cold colours... Everything is right in this photograph, from its technical and sensitively created, low-light capture, to its fine and flattering post processing. I have tried to find a fault somewhere with this but haven't, there isn't one. It is a worthy winner. Depth of field and exposure are perfect bringing detail to every part of the picture, the slow shutter speed has blurred the sea and the clouds, a technique which has magically enhanced those sand patterns as well as the distant island and its slower moving cloud top. Modest levels adjustment and curve control in developing have made the photograph pop and a nice vignette has brought a dynamic finish pulling the eye back into the scene. The scottish isles may make fabulous subjects for photography but it takes great talent, knowledge and a lot of emotion to create fine images like this one. Congratulations and very well done!

This photo was taken on the Bay of Laig on the Isle of Eigg in Scotland. The Isle of Rum is in the background. I was attending a photography workshop led by Bruce Percy, this was a top notch experience in every way. I would recommend to anyone wishing to improve their photography skills to attend any one of Bruces world wide workshops. He is a gentleman, an amazing portrait and landscape photographer, and an incredible teacher. One of the many beautiful things about this beach is that when the waves receded, small stationary stones kicked up a darker color of sand that provided amazing patterns. With each wave, there was an entirely different pattern, this provided endless possibilities. The rain was just picking up again when I began this exposure, but luckily there was an offshore breeze so the rain did not soak the filters I had in front of the lens. Mamiya 7ii, 43mm lens, 2 stop hard nd grad and a 2 stop full nd, Velvia 50 film, 12 second exp Raynor Czerwinski