June 2026 Theme Thread: Such a Beautiful Landscape (page 4 of 8)

Good evening,

Vineyard landscape: the Langhe, in Italy’s Piedmont region



I don’t know if diving into the hills is pleasant, but diving into the barrels sure is exhilarating: Barolo and Barbaresco are magnificent wines.

Ocean landscape: the Atlantic coast between the Garonne estuary and the Basque cliffs.



Ah! Diving into the waves! Without knowing if the next one might swallow us whole...

Desert landscape: Ayaz Kala, in the Kyzylkum, Central Asia’s red desert.



Diving into silence.

Have a lovely evening,

Catherine

A few coastal/maritime landscapes, still in Thailand, at..........Chumphon ;)

Southern Réunion coastal landscapes

A few days before the contest theme was announced, I left my phone on my mustard-yellow couch and found some photos in my gallery... They turned into surreal landscapes that I touched up a bit to make them sharper.

Dali had better watch out... 😉

This time, I think these photos fit the theme less easily because they’re not natural or man-made expanses seen from a viewpoint, but highly magnified textile fibers in a macrophotography approach. Still, the question is worth asking if you consider the perspective of a mite.

Oh, I didn’t mention it, but this contest is off-limits to dust mites... 🤪

A few views of the Vercors Drômois high plateaus.

Landscapes of the Vercors high plateaus.

And its local wildlife 😉

A pair of Australian landscapes... following up on those shared in the contest thread: 1) The Olgas, rock formations near Uluru/Ayers Rock 2) Depot Hill, a springtime landscape north of Perth

A little trip to the western USA:

South Africa: the Drakensberg

Landscapes of the upper Khumbu. Nepal

So many stunning photos—one more breathtaking than the next—and this is just the discussion thread!

On the other hand (not trying to revive an old debate), it’s interesting to see how we automatically associate "landscape" with "mountains." The vast majority of the photos prove that point.

I won’t add more photos of Switzerland—I’m just sharing some of Chandolin, the village where the traveler and explorer Ella Maillart lived and passed away. There’s a small museum dedicated to her.

To complement my photo of Tatacoa (Colombia), here are a few pictures of the birds you can spot there.

we often associate "landscape" with "mountains."

For a change from the mountains: Cuba, beaches:

On the other hand (I’m not trying to rehash an unnecessary question), it’s interesting to see how "landscape" gets associated with "mountains." The vast majority of photos show that.

Not sure about that... But for me, when there’s a mountain range in the country I’m visiting, that’s usually my first stop—though it doesn’t mean I ignore other types of landscapes. Here’s a piece of the coast on Malenge Island (Togian Islands, Indonesia):

Beach on Réunion Island.

Absolutely, the mountain landscapes win out here—the sea is a bit more in the background. Still my favorite spot in Thailand...

On the other hand (I’m not trying to revive a pointless question), it’s interesting to see how "landscape" is often associated with "mountains." The vast majority of photos show this.

When I think of landscape, I instinctively—and probably wrongly—picture nature and its harmony of light and shadow, the density of forests, the depth of the shades, or the power of mountains. Yet, as beautiful as this vision may be, it bores me. I enjoy the postcard-perfect scenes, but I prefer the vastness of the ocean, the green harmonies of a rice field, the undulating sands of a desert, the vibrant lights of a city at night, or simply a French landscape where the silhouette of a church steeple rises above the rooftops…