Here we have the top 30 images for round 6 of APOY 2016 – A Small Plot of Land (Landscapes and Cityscapes)

Landscapes and cityscapes are wonderful genres for any photographer to explore. Both types of photography, somewhat interchangeable with regard to technique, require the application of the most well-known and fundamental rules of photography. Both are made or unmade by the light, and both can benefit from accessories such as filters. Landscape and cityscape photography require photographers to learn to break down the scene and mentally reduce it to its most essential components in order to make sense of chaos.

In this round, we asked you to send us your best images of landscapes and cityscapes, and once again, the images we received were of an overwhelming quality. The winner of round 6 (Landscapes and Cityscapes) is Adam Stephenson from Halesowen in the West Midlands. He receives a Sigma dp0 Quattro camera and Sigma LVF-01 LCD Viewfinder.

The SIGMA dp0 Quattro is the fourth dp camera in the Quattro series and incorporates a high-performance 14mm f/4 lens (equivalent to a 21mm lens on a 35mm SLR).

The lens of the dp0 achieves the highest optical performance, and features four FLD (‘F’ low dispersion) glass elements, which have performance equal to fluorite; two SLD (special low dispersion) glass elements; and two aspheric lenses, including a wide double-sided aspheric lens. This reduces chromatic aberration and distortion, which are characteristics that are often present in super-wideangle photography.

Perfectly suited to landscape photographers, the addition of the Sigma LVF-01 LCD Viewfinder cuts off outside light and magnifies the LCD display 2.5x, allowing photographers to check focusing and composition more easily – a crucial application when shooting subjects such as landscapes and cityscapes.

All in all, Adam takes home a prize value worth £999.99.

1st Adam Stephenson, West Midlands 50pts

Nikon D750, 14mm, 25secs at f/2.8, ISO 2,500.

In first place for this round we find a common trope in landscape photography – the lone tree. But what marks this image out is its immense scale. Behind the tree we have the glowing lights of Hereford; in the foreground is the grass; and above it all is the sweeping arch of the Milky Way. It’s such an impressive image!

2nd Stian Nesoy, Norway 49pts

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 16mm, 20secs at f/4, ISO 400-1,600.

These unique ice-crystal formations were captured on a frozen river by the high mountains of Norway’s west, Stian tells us. The image was shot in the narrow window of time between the river freezing over, but before snow blanketed the landscape. The image looks almost alien and shows us why the landscapes of Scandinavia are so appealing to photographers.

3rd Denis Dowland, London 48pts

Canon EOS 700D, 18-135mm, 1/1,000sec at f/11, ISO 800.

In third place we have a city shot, and it’s a rather unconventional one. Here we see a view of Canary Wharf taken from a building site across the river. Usually, city shots focus squarely on the jutting graphic forms of the buildings, but here Denis has offered a unique perspective by using a building site as his foreground. The smooth mountains of grit and sand will eventually play their part in forming hard-edged buildings. The relentless expansion of the cityscape continues. It just goes to show that there’s a fresh angle to any subject.

Here are the top 50 entries for  APOY 2016 Round 6: A Small Plot of Land – Landscapes and Cityscapes

Adam Stephenson 50pts Stian Nesoy 49pts Denis Dowland 48pts Daniel Llamas 47pts Daniel Lois Otero 46pts Dominic Beaven 45pts Alan Warriner 44pts David Hendry 43pts Keith Trueman 42pts Grant Hyatt 41pts Chris Gebauer 40pts Abhijit Chatterjee 39pts Gavin Duncan 38pts Iain Turnbull 37pts June Morrissey 36pts Bertrand Chombart 35pts Valentyn Odnoviun 34pts David Ball 33pts Jacinta O’Shea 32pts Dominic Burdon 31pts George Digalakis 30pts Elena Kurlaviciute 29pts Penny Halsall 28pts Peter Henry 27pts Felix Belloin 26pts

Fearghal Breathnach 25pts Anita Nicholson 24pts Dylan Nardini 23pts Stu Meech 22pts Martin Watt 21pts Wenpeng Lu 20pts David Turnbull 19pts Brian Martin 18pts Daniel Howarth 17pts Martin Rawle 16pts Dave Horton 15pts Mike Hughes 14pts David Rippin 13pts Matheus Barbosa Ribeiro 12pts Stuart Taylor 11pts Leigh Cousins 10pts Pablo Garcia Saldaña 9pts João Duarte 8pts Russ Barnes 7pts Gareth Williams 6pts Graeme Pegman 5pts Lida Gutiérrez 4pts Graeme Youngson 3pts Peter Fenech 2pts Brian Mcdonnell 1pt

The 2016 leaderboard

Penny Halsall is in first place with a very impressive 182 points, while 50 points behind her in second place is Dominic Beaven with 132 points. In third we find George Digalakis with 130 points. In fourth place is Bertrand Chombart, and in fifth is Adam Stephenson.

Position	Name	Points
1	Penny Halsall	182pts
2	Dominic Beaven	132pts
3	George Diagalakis	130pts
4	Bertrand Chombart	129pts
5	Adam Stephenson	125pts
6	Sigita Playdon	119pts
7	Adrian Mills	117pts
8	Russ Barnes	116pts
9	Fearghal Breathnach	103pts
10	David Fletcher	94pts

Enter APOY 2016 and win prizes from Sigma