This is a view (taken in May), that many visitors to Blenheim Palace will see, so I wanted to add something different. It was rather windy, so I thought of adding drama by making a black and white conversion.

The flat appearance on the lake surface was created with a 10-stop neutral density filter, cutting out most of the light and allowing for a 30 second exposure time. Whilst freezing all movement in the water, it has the opposite effect on the clouds; their movement is seen as scudding across the sky, further enhancing the drama. A strong sense of a diagonal line leads the eye from the foreground, across the striped lawn, directly to the Palace. I placed this on intersecting thirds to make the image sit comfortably.

Highly Commended - Beautiful Blenheim (2024)