Ice

Natural ice formations are one of the most amazing things in the world, in my opinion. The one above is one of the coolest ones I've seen, not because of it's shape, but because of the way it is photographed. The way the sun is shining through illuminates the detail of the ice and makes it appear to shimmer. I can't find anything I dislike about this photograph. It can be viewed at the following URL:

http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/stations/davis/this-week-at-davis/2011/this-week-at-davis-26-august-2011

Great Wall of China

While not completely natural, the Great Wall of China is one of my favorite topics for photography. The above image is one of the better pictures I've seen of it. First, I really like how the greens and blues add a sense of depth to the image. The colors allow for the focus to be on the structure. While there are beautiful mountain peaks in the background, they simply serve as a nice background in this picture. I also really like how the wall leads the eye throughout the image from that lower right corner and back. The image can be seen at the following URL: 

http://pictures.4ever.eu/buildings/historical/great-wall-of-china-150741

Power of Perspective

This image is amazing to me. Usually, any wildlife in an image instantly becomes the focus simply because it is wildlife. However, in this image, it takes a while to notice there are a bunch of elephants in the lower third. The contrast is great in this. I love how the trees make the elephants look so small. This image can be seen at the following URL:

http://www.worldculturepictorial.com/blog/content/african-elephants-dwarfed-acacias-kenya-photo-2009-sony-world-photography-awards

Tornado Photography

One of my favorite movies growing up was Twister. Naturally, one of my favorite photography categories would be tornados! The National Geographic website has a multitude of tornado images, some of which can be seen at the following link:
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/tornado-general/

Happy storm chasing!

Shocking Sunflowers

The image located at the following link is one of my favorite images I've ever seen. The blues of the sky, illuminated by the lightning, create a great contrast with the yellow of the sunflowers. I really love how the lightning strike is in perfect focus while those sunflowers are blurred, adding to the intensity of the photo.

http://www.stanroseimages.com/photo/sunflower-b/

Bill Atkinson

Bill Atkinson is a popular nature photographer. His images are of very high quality. He has many images available from the United States. I particularly like his images of rocks. He uses the lines and colors very well. Some of these images can be viewed here: http://www.billatkinson.com/GenerateCatalog?page=0&filter=_Rocks

www.billatkinson.com has galleries and options to purchase his images.

NANPA

The North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) has an awesome website to find some great nature photography from North America. The website includes things such as showcases, publications, and opportunity to enter original work to the next showcase. For someone interested in nature photography, NANPA would be a great place to become a member and learn more. www.nanpa.org

Critique of 10 Peers' Images.

1) Jon Brunn, Image 7 of 30. I really like the focus and detail in this image. The detail in the feathers is an especially attractive feature of this photo. I think I would like the photo more if it were cropped on the left. In my opinion, it may be a more interesting image to look at if the duck were more to the left looking inward. The feet aren't completely in focus but that isn't a huge deal with this image.

2) Brandon Haggard, Image 21 of 25. I really like that there are 3 bison in this photo. I especially like that they are all looking inward. One of my favorite aspects is that you can see the steam of the animals' breaths. It is unfortunate that only two of the three are lit by the sunlight. The lighting sort of puts that third bison in the background. If I were editing this, I probably wouldn't have cropped in quite as much (if possible). However, I think this is a very good picture of bison.

3) Zach Witt, Image 4 of 30. This is a great landscape picture. I really like the layers. I like how the meadows in the middle are nicely lit while the clouds are darkened so they aren't overbearing. I really like the color as well. Landscape images are easy to mess up with on the color but this image looks like it would in person. I might have cropped in from the right to get some of that tree in the lower right out or partially out of the image.

4) Tyler Reed, Image 3 of 30. The focus in this photo is well done. The background is out of focus, allowing the viewer to dedicate his/her focus to what is most important in the photograph. I might have cropped off some of the left portion so that the subject wasn't looking out of the frame. I like how the color of the background really complements the coloring of the subject. This is probably the best image Tyler Reed has ever had the pleasure of capturing and editing.

5) Melinda Obritschkewitsch, Image 24 of 30. I really enjoy looking at this picture. I like how the branches pull you through the picture in a circle. I also like the green moss down in the lower left. One thing I don't really like, which is somewhat unavoidable, is the bright yellow leaf right in the middle. It is sort of distracting. The contrast is nice in this picture.

6) Nathan McKenty, Image 3 of 30. I really love the blurred trees on the sides of this image while the landscape in the background is in focus. It adds that interesting element of movement. I like how the sky is darkened out. However, I wish the focused portion was more bright. The photo seems dull, overall. Perhaps more contrast and vibrance could help with this issue.

7) Anton Larsson, Image 13 of 30. This is a really great reflective image. I really like how the reflection is slightly distorted by the water, but it is still fairly clear. I really like the color in this image. It looks as if a graduated filter may have been used. If not, either way, the sky is a really good color and it's not overbearingly bright.

8) Tiffanie Pope, Image 12 of 30. I really like the simplicity of this image. I think black and white was a very good choice. I like how the silhouettes are in pretty good focus, but the wings are slightly bird. It gives a good element of motion. I also like how Tiffanie used the rule of thirds and placed the birds in the right third and it looks like they are flying inward in the image.

9) Nancy Robinson, Image 5 of 31. I really like this image as a whole. I really love how the water is blurred out nicely, giving that element of flow. I also really like how trees fully frame each side of this image. It is nice that most of the snow is not blown out, and the trees in the background have good lighting. This image has great layers as well, which contribute to its overall appeal.

10) Shelby Jurewicz, Image 14 of 30. The focus in this image is spot on. You can see the details of the eagle perfectly while the background is blurred out nicely. It is good that the bird's eye is in the upper third area, putting it in a good subject location. I would like to see more background. The eagle takes up too much of the frame. However, that may have not been a possibility. You never know what distracting object lies just beyond the crop line.

Final Presentation Images

These photographs were all taken with either a Kodak Easy Share Z1012 IS or an iPhone 5S camera, both of which have fully automatic settings.