This judgement exercise has two different aspects. One is photography itself, its technical details wich make all the difference to the final result, and scomatic listed some wise details of which we should be aware while shooting. The other one is about the feelings the image is supposed to cause in the observer.
Since feelings are subjective and each person has different memories that bring up those feelings when looking at images, I will take some assumptions of what can be considered as peaceful attributes that can be found in a landscape:
nature; water; horizon/unending; silent; inwardness; spiritual; timeless; weightless; stationary; symmetry; order; pure; limpid; white; quiet; simple; soft
So, having these in mind, and given that my own memories and feelings, wich are different from yours, are what makes me feel more or less peaceful by observing each of these great photos, with all the subjectivity of my judgement, I would say:
tessfully
Although your second photo is showing a very peaceful scene, we are made to feel that peace by the activity of someone, and not by the landscape itself (but the scenario is itself a peaceful landscape with no doubt - that white flat ground of a frozen lake, with the forest in the background would be perfect for this chalenge).
So, I'll stcik with the first one - I almost felt the same peace by reading your story. But by looking at your photo, my eyes stop at those white branches of the trees in the first plane. I would rather have increased DOF so my eyes would get to the horizon to feel the freedom of being above all that beauty. But it sure has that timeless aspect that makes us stay and take a deep breath.
ars
I think you've chosen the best place to feel peace. You can see water, you are in a high place with a large view and that is a place that favors inwardness and spirituality. And that sky is so beautiful!
Tamia
I feel a bit off-balance by looking at your photo, that doesn't feel like peaceful to me, although I thing that's a great shot as it is almost dragging us down into the fall. I think it's rather dramatic with those hard rocks showing and that tumultuous water. But I can understand that it is peaceful for you, mainly because all that rush in nature can make us feel less stressed about our everyday rush.
Bill2849
This is a truly relaxing place! I can imagine myself walking slowly by the river and sitting on the bridge to hear the birds singing! I don't know if it is really like that or if it is my eyes, but it seems the bridge is not completely horizontal.
mtux
Here we have a peaceful place indeed, but conceived and designed by man, wich is something I know that can be done almost as well as God's creations (I don't know if I told you before, but I am an architect, so I know what I'm talking about!
). I only wish that the lake was full of water, I'm sure it was intended to be. We would get a mirror surface and would have much more impact. It's a great peaceful place and a great photography - you've chosen a point of view that allow us to understand the space and leaves more to explore...
sealonsf
I love mountains! That's where I go to feel some peace! There, the silence is greater, the air is lighter and you have large views! Your photo is great, guiding our eyes on this road. But to feel the peace here I needed to go to that spot ahead there, where I imagine that I would see a perfect peaceful landscape... Can you imagine that too?
noelcmn
I think you got the point! Your photo meets almost every concepts I wrote above. It's a great peaceful landscape photography!
scomatic
This is the photography I find most beautiful of all - the last, but not the least! It's a great composition, great colours, I love that deep grey sky and all the tonalities it brings to everything else. It doesn't make me feel that it is a peaceful place right now, as the storm is coming and everyone left. If I were there I would be anxious about it too! But we are talking about the photography and not the place it represents, and beauty, harmony, cleanliness of an image, as yours is, is something that I am very sensitive about and I value as fundamental aspects to feel peace. And I can really feel peace sitting right here, just by looking at this photo!
So, I choose to win, the photo that leaves me peacefully looking at it, and that's scomatic's:
2nd, as the photography that better meets the theme, noelcm's.
3rd, as the places I would go to find peace, ars's and Bill's.
And I can't wait for next week's challenge! What will it be the subject?
. Congrats Bill and Ars for your 3rd spot. Thanks Helena, for a fine judging exercise as usual. Solid range of images for this Project 52 challenge.
Post #1 by Helena
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