Landscape Photo Competition 2013 No 1 : Results

Judges Comment
This is a truly inspiring shot, a beautifully simple landscape with a harsh reality and a strong environmental message. I love the saturated, red warmth in this freezing Norwegian landscape and the way you have enhanced that with this abandoned and rusty old red barrel which brings such contrast, and indeed beauty, to both the picture and to the message. The photo has been expertly taken with beautiful composition, tones and exposure. The neutral density filtering is spot on and accentuates the foreground nicely whilst boosting the sky and mountains. Wonderful work, well spotted and well won!
Photographers Comment
Hello, I am Daniel Osterkamp from Munich, Germany and started photography just a couple of years ago. I was walking the Haukland Beach in Norway waiting for the sunset. Already visible from the street was the old barrel which made not only a nice color contrast to the bluish, cold winter landscape but also an environmental contrast. Happy that I was able to catch the barrel as a couple of days later the flood must have taken it away again as fellow photographers reported that the barrel was gone. Wait for the right moment and take the right picture. :-) If you would like to see more, you may visit my homepage (only in German so far) or my facebook-fanpage at https://www.facebook.com/fotografie.osterkamp Thank you very much for your attention and maybe becoming a fan of my page :)
www.danielosterkamp.de

Judges Comment
Wow! An extraordinary moonlight composition with a magnificent aurora borealis and surreal feel. The portrait format gives the sky the dimension it deserves and humbles man’s small abode in the immensity of this wild and hostile landscape. The red-green-blue colour combination is so powerful and adds to the wonderful graphic composition. The picture is perfect and first place in this competition is a mere hair’s breadth away. Fabulous photography and no doubt the result of great patience and freezing fingers. The starry sky is fantastic, you have taken my breath away.

Judges Comment
The audacity and originality of this photograph wins a deserved mark of excellence! Although a large part of this picture is of a brick wall you have used that to great effect with the off-centre framing of the landscape within the window. Great composition and vision, well done!
Photographers Comment
My name is Rob Overcash. Originally from Colorado, I lived nearly two decades in Arizona before moving to London four years ago. An aspiring freelance photographer focussed primarily on travel and landscape, I also enjoy the 'digital darkroom'. For me, photography is as much about post processing as it is capturing a scene. This image -- titled "Picture in Picture" -- was taken at Meteor Crater in Northern Arizona. The brick wall is part of the visitors center. It encloses a large open-air courtyard where that "window" frames the San Francisco Peaks mountain range about 45 miles away near Flagstaff. I was taken by how it looked like a landscape painting hanging on the wall, with a surreal effect as the sky above is connected to the scene visible through the opening in the wall. Composition and framing were therefore critical. Shot RAW using a Canon 5D MkII with 24-70 f/2.8L lens handheld; final processing in PS CS5.
www.robotography.com/

Judges Comment
I love the selective monochrome effect here and the sepia-like colour in the reeds. This photograph has been beautifully taken and developed. There is so much harmony within the composition and the stark contrast brings such power; the dark lake and lighter sky reinforce the presence of the silhouetted trees. Quite “wall hangingly” beautiful and totally entrancing.
Photographers Comment
:-)) I am really astonished and really happy to be here among the chosen super landscape photos. Thank you Judge, I really like your comment it means a lot to me! And I also think the judge's description is very tender and deeply thought over. I didnt change the colours of this photo only contrast and light and straightend the horizont. I took it with a Canon DIGITAL IXUS 65 (a mini camera) years before I got my self a D5M2. It was taken on the first day of Christmas in Güstritz (Wendland, Germany) on a very very very cold day, it was -15 Degrees while we walked here. The mini lake is called the Lehmkuhle and is an old clay ground where clay has been dug up for years and after the works stopped the water came... This photo also applied for the water photobook we made last november 2012 (but it was not chosen). If you like to see more of my photos check my website. On my website you will find more about me and more links to photos I made. Thanks in Advance
www.kujaja.com/en/kujaja

Judges Comment
Another very unusual scene and interesting close-up of this mini iceberg. The sharp details of the ice contrast sharply with the soft texture of the sea thanks to the long exposure. It is a nicely taken shot, well done!
Photographers Comment
Thank you soo much for this honor. Being among the top 9 is great :-) Congratulations to the winner, a great shot :-) My name is Audun Wigen, and I live in Norway. This picture was shot in March two years ago, in a place called Ringshaug near the city Tønsberg in Norway. I used Canon 5d-mkII, 17-40 and ND filter. If you look at my web-page, you will notice that it is in norwegian. Sorry for that, but I'm working on an english version, so check back in a couple of days :-)
wigen.biz/foto

Judges Comment
A nice eye-pleasing graphic composition where the black road slices its way through the desert. An artistic combination of the man-made and the natural with strong lines inviting us into the distance. Great travel shot, well spotted and captured.
Photographers Comment
Thank you for the positive feedback. This photo was taken in the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada with a Nikon D700 and a 70-200 VR lens from a tripod. It is a truly remarkable location to take photos and I loved the contrast of the black pavement. So many roads, so little time came to mind as I framed the shot.
www.facebook.com/pages/Bob-Alexander-Photography/423836921037981?ref=hl

Judges Comment
It is the movement in the water that makes this shot, giving a nice dimension to the branch of driftwood. The shutter speed is just right, bringing blur and interesting shapes to the surf but keeping the water real. You have framed the pebbles nicely but perhaps a little more sky would have balanced the whole a little better. Great effort, keep at it!
Photographers Comment
Hi! I'm Paweł Barket from Cracow, Poland. It's a pleasure to see my photo surrounded by magnificent images. I shoot it near Baltic Sea, two years ago, with Canon 7D and Sigma 10-20mm lens. I wouldn't make it, without my girlfriend Kasia, who wanted me to go for vacations with her. I really appreciate a comment from judges, and want to thank my girlfriend for opportunity, to take this photo :)
500px.com/pbarket

Judges Comment
Well we have all seen views like this one but it isn’t easy to make them look this good. Here you have used the right short telephoto lens to bring the bails close together and the daring but flare-less backlight accentuates the graphic forms. I like the trailer which makes a working story out of this field and the panorama crop which gives overall strength to the composition. Nice and refreshing, thanks for entering this detail shot.

Judges Comment
This dreamy, minimalist seascape has a lovely inviting composition and pleasant low light colour. Once again a long exposure turns the sea into a metallic and interesting medium, ridding its surface of the irregularity of waves. (Get your tripods out folks!) Technically perfect, except for the not quite straight horizon. Well done!