Every month, we offer our readers a shot to show off their best recent work. This month, the entries were heavy with excellent landscapes from the dramatic to the serene. Of course, it's not all sweeping outdoors shots. Check out the gallery for some inspiration, then cruise over to the contest page and show off your own stuff. The official winners will be announced in a future issue of Popular Photogrpahy
By Stephen Fischer
I photographed this while camping at an old mining site in the desert west of the town of Yerrington, Nevada. During the daytime it was not so obvious what would make for an interesting composition, but once night fell and distant city lights created this glow, this composition became apparent. I experimented with an exposure with star trails, but decided I liked the stillness of this composition the best. The pillars were softly light painted with my headlamp to achieve more detail.
![Ian Plant Gallery: [Sponsored Gallery]](http://www.popphoto.com/files/imagecache/beg_olgallery_thumb/_images/201305/detail-of-patterns-in-rock-los-glaciares-national-park-patagonia-argentina.jpg "Ian Plant Gallery: [Sponsored Gallery]")
