Vík í Mýrdal, Iceland

Judge’s Choice – Photography – Student/Resident Category

Judge’s Comments:
A dozen riders on horseback moving in unison through verdant fields thick with lavender. Who are they and where are they heading? The lines of the composition point to the left. What is their intention when they arrive at their destination? Are they sheep herders heading to tend to their flock? Are they cowboys on roundup or farmworkers en route to distant fields? Or are they merely tourists who rented horses for the day to enjoy country air and to smell the flowers? What is the location which features a greening mesa in the background and an elevated roadway separating lush meadows in the foreground? These are all questions we cannot answer. However, the leading lines, composition, and colors provide all the answers we need to appreciate the beauty of the landscape and the momentarily benign human presence.