Sorry this took so long. I am no good at this judging thing...so this is never easy for me. Without further ado...a brief constructive critique of each of the photos entered, followed by the top 3 winners.
Rense started us off early in the theme (Tuesday) and set the bar pretty high with his moody black and white. Don't know if the vignette was applied after or what, but I like the effect it has on this image. I like that the two primary areas of interest, the cow and the tower behind, are near each other in the frame composition-wise but neither is centered in the frame. I maybe would have liked it a little better if you were closer to the cow, using a bit wider of an angle to promote that distance between it and the background subjects.
eccs19...beautifully captured sky, maybe just a tad overpowers the countryside though, which has been silhouetted to capture the detail in the clouds. I like the perspective though, the big sky and sunlight shining down on the land. Good stuff!
RoxnDox...I don't know much about panoramas, but hand-held? Wow...I can't even tell where the pictures were stitched together. The horizon is maybe just a bit to centered in the frame for me on this one. But a nice perspective showing the roads leading in the different directions and vanishing onto the horizon.
Eaglerapids...Another atypical 'landscape' photograph, but a beautiful countryside nicely composed with the twisting road. Looks like it was tough to get a good exposure with the road and roadside trees in the shade and the mountainside in the sunlight. Very well done...the detail has not been lost at all and there is great balance. An awesome view...I envy you if you live near there.
mithrandir...definitely a departure from a classic landscape, but nice scenery for sure. There is a clearing on the other side of the trees that makes me wonder what's over there. Also nice exposure amongst the shadows and highlight areas. Someone who dropped in and was looking over my shoulder pointed out that the trunks are nicely framed amongst the branches...nicely done!
Ash...Deep blues in the sky, and I actually like that there is a cloud behind the wind vane to really make it stand out. This is one of the most interesting photos I've looked at in a while in terms of the color variations...the green grass, the reds and purples near the horizon, and the deep blue sky with pure white clouds. Very nice. I'll be honest in that at first I didn't like the barbed fenceline in the shot...but it has grown on me and I feel it adds even more interest.
bbluesman...an interesting take on 'countryside.' I enjoyed the colors of the umbrellas and clothing against an otherwise overall drab colored scene. I also like that the subjects have a place to walk and that they are not centered in the frame...the fact that the road curls around the building adds to the photo for me. It was tough judging this one alongside the other, more typical, countryside scenes, but it's certainly a nice photograph.
JanVan...that looks like it was taken in my neck of the woods!
Seriously, that looks like a shot of a horse farm in Pennsylvania. Love the colors in the trees and the fact that the trees on the right side are closer leading the eye further and further away. I think maybe it would have had more impact if the house were in better view and not hiding behind a tree, but clearly nothing you can do about that! without legal penalties that is.
xs400...very nice composition, many points of interest. The light is maybe just a bit hard but overall a very nice photograph. The shadows do look pretty long though, what time of day was it captured?
Tsukiouji...I like the composition, maybe would have liked to see a little more of what looks to be a fisherman in the lower right of the frame. Also nice reflection of the trees in the water, and the overall mood of the picture is nice with the fog.
ceericks...gotta love the fall season in Pennsylvania! Love the various groupings of pumpkins and how the buildings shown in the image are nicely fit into the edges of the frame. Good sky, the land is a bit dark for me but overall i like the colors and the mood of it.
3rd place...xs400...a little more detail in the sky might have bumped this up.
2nd place...Eaglerapids...i'm a sucker for sweeping road scenes like this
1st place...Ash...it's the colors...the perspective...great stuff.
Congrats everyone...this truly was extremely difficult!!! Ash, you are up to judge the next theme...Landscape: Your Back Yard
Dan thanks for hosting and for offering commentary on other images-a nice touch!
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