Laura Symes, Crescent Moon (MINIMALISM - Entries close 31 July 2026)

While waiting for wildlife, I noticed how prominently the crescent moon sat in the sky. Drawn to its scale, shape and the delicate veil of cloud passing in front of it, I shifted focus and composed a minimalist frame that isolated the moon within a vast expanse of negative space. Captured using a Nikon Z6III with a Nikkor Z 180–600mm lens at 600mm, the image was taken at 1/400s, f/6.3, ISO 220, tripod mounted. The long focal length allowed for strong compression and detail in the lunar surface while maintaining separation from the surrounding atmosphere. In post-processing, I applied more pronounced global adjustments to contrast, tone and clarity to create an artistic interpretation of the scene. Care was taken to retain detail within the moon while subtly enhancing the surrounding cloud to add depth without distracting from the central subject.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.