Winners announced. Congratulations, Randy and John!

Prizes

The winner of the contest will win:

(1) a JOBY Gorillapod SLR ZOOM flexible tripod with ballhead, which will clamp to a bench, table, or tree and provide your camera with support. The ballhead allows you to tilt the camera relative to the tripod head plate. Works on all models & brands, and supports up to 7 pounds, which means even most SLR + zoom lens combinations will work.

Note from Joost: I currently own and use two of these myself; until I bought my main tripod these were all I ever used for everything from timelapse to long-exposure photography, and I still carry them around regularly because they are so light and compact.

(2) on top of that, a photo of your choice, on 13"x19" photo paper and matted to 18"x24"

(3) eternal fame & recognition

The runner-up will win:

(1) a photo of your choice, on 13"x19" photo paper and matted to 18"x24"

(2) eternal fame + high hopes of becoming the winner of the next contest

Rules

-  You have to be a member of the LBL photo club (emeritus & honorable members count, too!)

-  Submit images by December 15th 2015 by uploading them to the Zenfolio site (login known to members)

-  Maximum three images per person

-  Upload images with a resolution of at least 800 pixels along the longest edge (but greater than 1200 pixels is highly recommended)

-  Color, black & white, landscape or portrait orientation, panoramic: all are accepted. Scans of film/slide images are too, as long as the scan quality is sufficient.

-  Your image needs to be landscape themed. Wide city views, nightscapes, seascapes are accepted. The use of image processing software (Photoshop etc) is allowed, but this contest is not intended for digital art (where the majority of the image has been created on a computer). There is some room for interpretation here, but I (Joost) reserve the right to reject any images and modify the rules if deemed necessary. Scroll down for shooting tips!

-  By uploading your images you do not transfer any copyright. By uploading you confirm that you are the original creator of the image and have the right to publish it. I promise I will honor your copyright.

- A 5-person independent jury has been selected. Each jury member has an equal vote and their votes will determine who wins. Read the recommendations below to see what the jury may look for in your images

The Jury

Five jury members will judge the images. Read here what their background is, so you know what they may look for in your images.

Paul Weeks was born with a sense of adventure, and enjoys traveling to remote places such as Iceland, China and Patagonia and has been taking images of these adventures since 2013. His diverse portfolio includes landscape, travel and nightscape images, and even though he is relatively new in the field, his images have quickly gained attention form many, as for example on of his images was featured as National Geographic's "Shot of the day" (check it out here) Take a minute to check out his amazing portfolio on www.paulweeksphotography.com

Angela Heetvelt is a freelance travel guide writer/editor who has been writing and photographing for various magazines and publishers for over two decades, primarily in The Netherlands. Her travel guides feature many images and careful selection of the best landscape (or cityscape) images to fit a story is part of her everyday job.

Marcel Daniels has been taking travel and landscape images since way back when in the analog age. In 2003 he made the switch to digital and hasn't looked back since. His images of US & European landscapes have been published in numerous Dutch travel guides. In his personal work, he likes to take an abstract approach to photography and focus on the details of a landscape. Take a look at his diverse imagery at www.marceldaniels.nl

Nirav Thakor says that to him, photography is mostly about being in nature, and sharing his experiences: "For me, nature has always been a place of sanctuary, rejuvenation, and inspiration. Through my artwork, I strive to share my journeys through nature, and the emotional experiences that nature has given me. As a native of California, my photography often involves the western region of the United States, and subject matter ranging from coastal tidal areas to the mountains of the Sierras. However, I have been fortunate enough to see and experience various other places around the world and photograph them as well."

Nirav has been taking photographs for the past seven years, but really started to take photography seriously in the past three years, during which he started traveling specifically for photography, and began selling his artwork to clients both in the US and abroad. Be sure to take a look at his photographs on niravthakorphotography.com or Flickr

Thijs Clevis is a Dutch photographer who started taking photography seriously when he bought his DSLR in 2007. He now showcases a diverse portfolio of city and nature landscape scenes, as well as portrait and event photography. Check out his website! 

Hints, tips, recommendations

Check out the portfolios of the jury members above for inspiration, and apply their flawless techniques to your own pictures. Some of the tried and true concepts they clearly demonstrate are listed below.

Composition: Arguably more important than any of the technical aspects of an image is the composition. Strive for a pleasing composition by applying one or more of the following concepts:

-  Rule of thirds, or rule of ninths

-  Leading lines

-  Identify and isolate your subject: eliminate distracting objects by composition, and emphasize your subject by getting close, closer, and then even closer to your foreground. Use a wider lens (or zoom out) if necessary and try to balance the foreground and background by a combination of distance and focal length.

-  Include both a clear foreground and background

-  Leading lines (lines leading from the corners or edges of the image towards your subject to lead the eye). Note that subtle dodging and burning in post-processing can enhance this effect.

-  Balance the image, by the use of negative space or balancing 'heavy' objects

Color / texture: Use complementing and contrasting colors and textures to emphasize what you like about the scene. Eliminate distracting elements by careful composition. Review your images and adjust!