Nature's Whispers, Eclipse Shots and a New Cash Prize!

This week our commmunity moved onto exploring “Quiet Landscapes Using HDR” as the weekly challenge (falling under our “Nature's Whispers” monthly theme.

Of course, all landscapes are quite quiet when placed in perspective. However, you can't deny that feeling you've experienced when looking at a certain vibe in some soothing landscape photographs.

The following shots include some of the most important visual attributes required of a quiet landscape:

Minimalism, which is a hard-to-pin visual concept but not an alien concept for the members of the Light Stalking community.
Less movement, which is effective an effective attribute when attempting to denote silence. Some examples could include idle clouds with no sign of being thunderous or calm and silky bodies of water with no ripples or waves.
The absence of humans in the frame is a major factor in achieving silence in landscapes which can be quite difficult to achieve in popular places. Landscape photographers wake up really early in the morning to get these kind of shots, or hike long trails to be in a quiet place.
A muted palette of blues, greens, and greys can also sometimes deliver the feeling of tranquility in a landscape.

If you are looking to capture some quiet landscapes, the above list can be seen as an easy-to-follow checklist of visual attributes to look for in a landscape photograph when you are looking for signs of silence or quietness.

Now, let's take a look at some tranquil shots which, also resonate with the recently opened contest for April.

Photo of the Week

Keeping last week's photography challenge in mind, I found an image that fits somewhat the expectations of a quiet landscape. The minimalist composition is enhanced by the muted earth tones and a soothing fog. The absolute stillness of water below, and even the absence of humanity is pointed by the solitude of the man-made pier.

Congrats Timothy, thanks for sharing such a high quality photograph with us!

Weekly Photography Challenge Digest

Thanks Tersha and Rob for pushing our creative boundaries one step forward every week!

Sunrise in winter

Sunrise in winter

glacier national park

Shot with 52 year old glass. More in General Chit Chat

For more visual imagery, check out the 690th original challenge post!

A Highlight on the Latest Activity at our Community

Marty is intrigued with converting to macro — so if you have any advice, please share your thoughts!

And speaking of macro, Tersha got this with “EF-S35mm f/2.8 MACRO IS STM plus Canon Extension tube EF12”.

Elin opened a couple of spaces for us to share some shots of the recent solar eclipse: 01 & 02

Here are a couple of those extraordinary shots!

Robert Apple had some fun with a 3d model and Devils Tower in Wyoming:

And Patrick shared a never-seen before shot of the BISCUIT BANDIT!

Remember, our monthly contest is live, and is all about “Whispers”.

Go check out the guidelines if $250 sounds like an interesting prize!

Last but not least, if you want to make the most out of your LightStalking user account, make sure to check the latest posts. Also, don't forget to check out the Mobile Monday Challenge!

We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts

Our Feedback Forum is a fine place for all those people wanting to grow as photographers. Here, you'll get your work reviewed by well-intended photographers, but you'll also have the chance to comment on the work of others. We believe in the power of feedback, and here are the latest shots shared in the pool:

The Shark Tank is a great place to learn and to discuss, but please read the instructions to get a good experience. Share your comments, opinions and doubts on any or all of the images above. We also will be delighted to see some of your own images.

Also, don't forget to participate in our current challenge on serene waters!