279th Show & Tell Competition: Landscapes with People - WINNER

[kodachrome]

A hearty thank you to all entrants. There were a lot of excellent entries to choose from, so let me tell you what I looked for. First, I looked for what I felt were interesting images by asking - did they pull me into the landscape? Second, if they pulled me into landscape, was it the people in the landscape that drew me in? Third, if the people in the landscape drew me in, what would the image look like if there were no people? I felt the best images were the ones where the people in the image enhanced the overall impact of the landscape, adding to it, yet not overwhelming the landscape.


First, a few Kudos ....

Kudos to:
Marcel de Jong (mdejong)
Jojie Alcantara (jojie_alcantara)
Nick Vivan (nickvw)
who each had three entries which were all strong contenders


More Kudos to:
J Rayner (raynerj)
Margaret Lew (mclew)
Walter o. Konig (amoxtli)
Ken Zaret (kzaret)
Todd Owlett (towlett)
Maaike Huizer (emmelafoto)
Dennis Camp (fishit)
David Decroix (davlefabuleux)
Nelson (mangoman)
Todd Merport (todd_port)
for bravery, who each submitted a monochrome entry in a landscape competition that was dominated by luscious sunsets and rich colorful vegetation and seashores.


Honorable mentions:


MG_4828
by
Todd Owlett (towlett)

A beautiful evening sunset brimming with activity from ducks on the water streaming towards the photographer to people enjoying a stroll along the riverwalk. Beautiful rich ambiance.





January 3
by
Walter O. Koenig (amoxtli)

I like how a strong diagonal leads your eye to the sunset, and how the reflection disappears into the waves. In the middle of this vibrant triangle are people underneath the pier animated with color and movement. Captivating image.




The finalists:

3rd Place:

Morning mist
by
Nick Vivan (nickviv)

A soft misty warm glow sets the mood for this pleasing image. The texture of the mist gives way to two early morning sailors setting forth for the day's journey. A classic.



2nd Place

Pensativo
by
Juan Leon (jiben)

I like the simplicity, the pastel sky, the moon, the light on the wall, and the pensive posture of the person. I like how the eye is drawn immediately to the edge of the wall where the person then draws the viewer's attention. A masterpiece.


First Place Winner

Mile 7.2 - Buckskin Canyon Conluence
by
Nelson (mangoman)

Light captured with scale, tone, and texture that Ansel would be proud of. Integral to the viewer understanding the enormity of this landscape is a person who also happens to be standing near the light which is what draws you in immediately. Bravo!


Sincerely,
Mark Schretlen (kodachrome)

[jlben]

Thank you very much Mark for the second place and your kind words, and congrats to Nelson, a really stunning image!

Best,

Juan

[jojie_alcantara]

Thanks for the mention and nice comment, kudos to the winners!

[amoxtli]

Thank you for the HM, and congrats to the winners. Once again there were many great submissions.

Best Wishes,
Walter

[fishit]

Excellent choices, congrats to the winners and for a very well run theme and judging.

[mangoman]

What an honor to to be chosen the winner in this contest! Thanks so much, Mark.
There were many outstanding images in the field.

Glad I decided to carry the wide angle lens on that trip.

I'll decide on a theme and start a new contest tomorrow morning.

[terrybowker]

Congratulations to all of the winners; great contest!

Terry

[mangoman]

A little background on the winning photo, if anyone is interested. It was taken in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, which straddles the Utah-Arizona border in the southwestern USA, just east of the Grand Canyon. The 38-mile hike through Paria is a classic backpacking trip in this part of the country.

My hiking buddy Jeff walks faster than I do, so he is always in front on our trips. Sometimes we hardly see each other except at camp, though we stayed close together in Paria due to the trail difficulty. We left our packs at camp this morning and took a side trip of several miles up Buckskin Gulch. As we returned to the Paria Confluence I could see that Jeff had no choice but to walk in front of the small pool of water, in which he would then be reflected. I found a spot where he would be framed by that nice curved cliff on the left, and had about a minute to try a few sample shots to make sure the exposure was correct. Then waited until I could see his reflection. He moves fast, so I didn't have much time for the final shot!

It was 11:30 AM in October, so the sun was high enough in the southern sky (to the right in that photo), so that there was plenty of light bouncing around providing diffused highlights to both sides of the canyon walls. The only processing done in Lightroom was some highlight recovery, a slight increase in clarity and contrast, and convert to grayscale. The camera was an old Canon Rebel with the Canon 10-22mm zoom lens.

Thanks again. I'll start the new contest now.

[nickviv]

Cheers for the 3rd place, and a nice competition theme.. Am back in Sweden at the moment and awaiting the right time to take the camera out..
Nick

[towlett]

Fantastic picks. I find them all Inspirational. It feels great to have one of my photos listed as an honorable mention among such talented company. Thanks and Congratulations to all!

BTW my photo is of Shoen's Place along the Erie Canal, taken from a bridge in the village of Pittsford, NY.

[mclew]

Thanks for the kudo! Compliments on your good work to all winners and to the judge!