Thank you everyone who participated in the first Hiking in Finland Photo Contest. There were well over 30 entries, and it was hard to narrow it down three, let alone pick a winner.
Picking the top three was hard, I sat for well over fourty minutes looking at all the entries, discussing them with my wife (always have female input in important decisions!), until I finally was able to settle on the winning three.
Place 1:
It is a very interesting view of a broad-leaved forest in Luxembourg, with cliffs to one side. The brown, dead leaves on the floor stand in nice contrast with the bright green leaves of the trees, as does the dead wood on the ground with the living trees. The rocks on the right side are a stark contrast to the living matter around them, funnily enough one of the rocks looks like a skull. The photo appears to be not manipulated [missing EXIF data :/]. All in all a very nice scene, one where I feel like jumping in and going for a hike and climb. However, I think the photo could have been improved by not having been taken in the middle of the day - morning or evening light could have improved the photo. Nevertheless, my favourite of the submitted photos. Congratulations Samen Buiten!
Place 2:
In this photo I really like the perspective it gives - the person in the photo gives you a sense of the surroundings. The infalling sunbeams from the right give the impression of it being very early, which is further enhanced by the rising mist and the clouds in the sky. Broad-leaf trees in the foreground till close to the river, with some conifers on the side and the mountains shows how different and adaptable the forest can be. I really feel how the moisture is in the air in this photo, how the leafs and stones are covered in dew and can imagine how nice it must be to walk there, waiting for the sun to come over the tree tops. Maybe the sky is slightly overlighted, though all in all a very great photo, and a worthy second place! Congratulations Gareth!
Place 3:
A very nice capture, illustrating that forests not only can be a relaxing, serene place, but also invite us to enjoy adrenaline-laden activities like mountain biking in them. The fuzzy, brown conifer forest with a bit of green shining through in the background are a nice contrast to the sharp mountain biker in the centre. Taking photos like these isn’t easy, especially as this one was shot in a moment as it presented itself; though it would have been nice if the mountain biker would have been really crisp and sharp. Here I feel like I’d like to join the two mountain bikers and race over the trails in the shadow of the forest. Congratulations Court Harding!
Please all three of you of you contact me via Email. The first place gets the Berghaus Arete Backpack, while I have a small surprise for the second and third place.
Honourable Mentions:
Picking three out from the 30+ entries was hard, and so I show you the three more photos which were in the top six:
Joni from Finland photographed the prettiest tree of Finland - the Birch. I like the texture in the photo, and the autumny look.
Levon Jensen presents us with a classic autumn view from Waterton Park. Great autumn colours and the mountains and clouds in the background make for a majestic scenery.
Chad Poindexter’s forest path in the mist is a very beautiful photograph, which makes you feel like you want to walk down that path towards the light.
Again, a big THANK YOU to all participants. It was a great pleasure to go through all the different, creative and beautiful photos which were entered, and a tough job to pick the three I liked the most. Once September comes by, expect a second photography contest!
All rights to the shown photos are with their respective owners. Thanks for allowing me to showcase them.