Charlie’s picks

This year I am going to pick a selection of images out of the challenge after the judging is complete so these images will never be the same as the top 10. I just wanted to have the opportunity to recognise even more of the beautiful images. There is no t a set number each month, so some months you may see more in this section than others, especially if I agree with the judge on all their choices! These images all achieve a bonus 2 points.

Just to say this challenge was insanely difficult to pick my extras as every single one in the challenge hit the brief of ‘bleak or wild’ beautifully. So these that I have chosen this challenge for me gave me the greatest feeling of wild or bleak.

This month’s images are:

Malcolm Brown

Picked because the feeling of nature clashing with man-made for me is so strong. The contrast of such strong lines with the natural shapes is beautiful, and I loved the colour used in the post processing as well.

These Skelton trees with a hint of snow on the ground offer a really bleak and wild feeling to me. I look at this and feel very alone in a silent wood. The colours and effect brought by the layering of images works very well.

I look at this image and feel cold! It really looks like a bleak place to be in the depth of winter – the ICM movement adds a feeling of an icy wind blowing through the wood which also adds a wild feeling as well.

I love this for its unique take on this challenge theme. I get a feeling of looking out through a window towards a landscape that feels bleak. The colour is super and the extra detail in the textural overlay fills part of the image that would have otherwise been very empty.

This image is successful in this challenge through its very muted monotone palate It’s like there is no colour left in the scene, no light or dark – only monotony- and to me that would be very bleak. I love how the ICM shapes fill the image.

I often stand at my window, looking out into the bleak landscape through the rain on my windows. This gives me that exact same feeling. The ICM movement has smudged and wiped any clear vision away, and the shapes left are angular and harsh.