Tom, My first impression of your image was one of empty space, isolation and loneliness. I like your pre-visualisation of the story you wanted to tell and the competence of your technical skills required to achieve it. Your removal of the fence around the church is an exemplar to us all. Compositionally, I like the way you have three main elements (fence on left, yourself, church) which together creates a good visual triangle of interest. The essence of your image is in the lower half of the frame. Therefore, I wondered what you would think about cropping the image into a letterbox format and indeed flipping the image horizontally to make better use of the left-to-right lead-in along the road you have introduced. See below.   Posted: 01/11/2025 11:25:48

Tom - the melding of the 2 scenes worked out well. I like the placement of your church on the right because the heavy hill - highest object in the scene - "feels" better on the left. Your work with the layers brought the cows into viewing range - nice touch. Your treatment of the light is stunning - darken sky for moodiness above, and "spotlight" effect in front of the church. For me, there is a lovely story here.   Posted: 01/12/2025 17:00:33

Tom, You've created a beautiful and compelling image. I love the lighting, tone and overall simplicity. This is the type of image that creates such an introspective mood, it is iconic in the contemplative feel. Nicely done.   Posted: 01/17/2025 23:46:22