Second Monthly Competition Winners - Scored 20

Mothers Love - colour print by Gillian Temple, scored 20

This image was taken with my Canon R5 and Canon 100-500 mm lens. The image was processed from RAW in Camera Raw then taken into Photoshop where I replaced the background with a texture and a crop.

GT

Massive Dolomites - colour print by Kathy Haddow, scored 20

I spent some time in the Dolomites last year, walking between refugios which is what the Italians call mountain huts. It meant that I was often out on the trail and in a great place to catch the best of the light. 

This image was taken on my way back from Refugio Boe accessed from the Pordoi Pass at a height of around 2600m. September usually sees warm days but for me it was more reminiscent of a Scottish spring as snow had fallen, making it pretty precarious carrying all my camera gear!! The light caught the mountain beautifully, capturing the essence of what this UNESCO world heritage site is all about- towering, jagged peaks amongst narrow mountain passes. 

KH

Going Nowhere - Mono Print by Kathy Haddow, scored 20

The Belhaven Bridge is on many photographers' to-do list but not mine! I tend to stay away from honey pot sites but a group of friends wanted to go. That's why I found myself standing one (very) early morning in June, feeling totally uninspired by the composition facing me, wondering "what do I do here??"

The tide was coming in and there was some lovely cloud action going on so I threw on a 10 stop ND filter to give this a really long exposure. The title reflects not only the bridge's reputation for looking like a bridge that doesn't lead anywhere but also my own feelings about being there at stupid o'clock when all I wanted was my bed or a cup of coffee!!! I fell in love with this image instantly when I uploaded it.

KH

Autumn Cascade at the Birks - DPI Image by Kathy Haddow, scored 20

Everyone loves the Hermitage in autumn. My socials were filled with beautiful images of soft bronzes, vibrant yellows set against dark green and paths strewn with leaves. I had to go! I was persuaded otherwise by a friend who lives locally and having been to both now I have to agree. 

There is a circular walk around the Birks that at its high point crosses the Falls of Moness. For many people this is the highlight of the walk but for photographers like  me who love waterfalls and river cascades, there are far too many distractions like this one that mean I rarely visit those falls!

This waterfall is near the path and easily accessed, however setting up the composition was a little tricky as it meant tucking the tripod in to the rock formation and hanging my camera over a precarious shelf. It was taken whilst raining so I used a polariser to reduce the shine on the rocks- this had the added benefit of bringing out the vibrancy of the yellows and greens and also meant I didn't need to add another ND filter since the light levels were low enough. This allowed me the 1/2 second I wanted to achieve this look. Being so close to the water though meant I was constantly wiping the lens to keep it clear of water drops!!

KH