Lake Oggiono by Luca Renoldi

Captured during a serene summer afternoon, this photograph showcases the tranquil beauty of Lake Oggiono, nestled in the mountainous landscape near the Swiss border. The photographer utilized a narrow aperture of f/18 to ensure deep focus, capturing the expansive interplay between the rolling hills and the reflective water surface. This image is award-worthy for its masterful composition and the authentic, unadorned perspective it offers, reflecting the photographer's commitment to capturing reality exactly as it unfolds. The stillness of the afternoon light highlights the natural elegance of this hidden Italian gem, inviting the viewer into a moment of quiet, geographical reflection.

Lake Oggiono by Luca RenoldiLake Oggiono, by Luca Renoldi
Nikon D700 | Exposure 1/60sec @ f/18 | ISO 200
Copyright Β© Luca Renoldi
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Luca Renoldi

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Born in Milan in 1958, Luca Renoldi resides near Monza, Italy, where he balances a professional career in industrial machinery with a lifelong passion for photography. Known for his indomitable energy and a spontaneous approach to his craft, he prefers to capture the world as he sees it, rarely staging his subjects. His work, often documented during his extensive international travels, reflects a deep curiosity for his surroundings and a commitment to authenticity, frequently experimenting with techniques like fractals to complement his traditional landscape and street photography.

Profile View Full Profile
12.1/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
168/500
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Award Reach | Reviews
17,310 views | 7 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date January 2, 2012
70.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 12.0
Clarity 13.0
Composition 18.0
Style 13.0
Skill 14.0
Photograph Location
Oggiono, Italy

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Landscape Photography
Luca Renoldi Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (11.8/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,624/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
17,310/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.1/5 points
2/100 Review
Submissions
1.7/5 points
168/500 Submission
Jury Score: 70.0/80
Resonance Score: 11.8/20
Total Award Score: 81.8/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 5

Lena Brandstrom Macro Photography, Optics & the Science of the Seen Expert Review
At f/18, Renoldi’s choice pushes the Nikon D700 toward the diffraction limit, softening the micro-contrast across the lake’s surface. While the focal plane is expansive, the physics of such a narrow aperture inevitably sacrifices the crispness of the distant hills. Still, the way the light refracts across the water’s stillness is haunting. I’ve spent hours staring at these ripples; it’s a quiet, optical ache that reminds me why we bother capturing the world at all.
Dmitri Kasakov Contrast, Shadow Drama & the Metaphysics of Light Expert Review
Renoldi’s Lake Oggiono doesn’t invite; it resists. By forcing f/18, he’s flattened the world into a rigid, crystalline cage. It’s technically precise, yet I’m unsettled by how the light refuses to hide anything. Where are the secrets? Without the mercy of deep shadow, the landscape feels hollow, a stage stripped of its ghosts. I’ve walked these shores, and they aren’t this transparent. It’s a beautiful surface, but it’s a photograph that’s afraid of its own darkness.
Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Most landscapes I review are just pretty postcards. They’re technically sound but emotionally hollow. What separates Renoldi’s work is the way the light hits those reeds; it’s not just a reflection, it’s a quiet, heavy stillness I can actually feel in my chest. It’s the restraint that wins here. He didn’t over-process the sky, letting the natural haze do the heavy lifting. In thirty years, this honesty will still feel like a genuine breath of air.
Thomas Hargreaves Earned Photographs, Craft Discipline & the Long Wait Expert Review
A summer afternoon at Oggiono. It’s pleasant, certainly, but one wonders if the photographer simply happened upon this view while out for a stroll. The light is flat, lacking the bite of a hard-won dawn or a storm’s retreat. I’ve spent enough hours shivering in damp grass to know when a frame hasn't been suffered for. It’s a competent capture, but it doesn’t feel earned. It’s a photograph that was found, not built.
Isabelle Fontenay Colour Harmony, Tone & Atmospheric Light Expert Review
The palette here evokes a Morandi stillness, where the slate-grey of the water meets the bruised, dusty sage of the distant hills in a quiet, chromatic conversation. It’s a haunting, muted harmony that I’ve found myself lingering over, feeling the cool dampness of the Italian air against my own skin. One doesn’t merely see this landscape; one breathes in the melancholy of those desaturated greens, a rare, hushed elegance that’s truly breathtaking to behold.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Sven Lindqvist

The Weight of Still Water

Water does not ask to be seen. It simply holds the sky, the hills, and the passing clouds, indifferent to whether we are watching or not.

Read the reflection →
By Margaret Holt

The Weight of Still Water

In the early days of cartography, mapmakers often filled the empty spaces of the oceans with drawings of sea monsters or intricate compass roses. They were terrified of the blankness, of the idea that a place might exist without a name or a boundary to define it.

Read the reflection →

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