10 steps

I'm not always a fan of heavily processed images but this one appealed to me immediately....very atmospheric and reminiscent of Hitchcock's 'the birds'. The competition was about producing something new by simply taking 10 steps outside of your door and not delving into your archive to find something that vaguely fits the brief....around half of the submitted images didn't meet the brief as they had been entered for previous contests or didn't fit the spirit of the contest. This image does with added drama and atmosphere....very well done - love it!

There were many many photographs of plants and flowers entered into this competition.... but this one stood out for me - I particularly liked the contrast between the paving and the flower along with the shadow which made for a very enjoyable composition....

This image stood out for me for a number of reasons....the colour palette works very well and I liked the contrast between the natural growth and the stone on the wall....again, this is a good example of detailed observation...a combination of textures adding to the overall effect...simple subject matter well executed...

I was looking for simplicity and photographs which could have been taken anywhere rather than having an advantage of location....the sharpness of the peg along with the shallow depth of field makes this for me....however, I normally find that signatures on photographs mess with my aesthetic as I 'read' them as part of the image - so I have had to ignore this in this particular case as the image is so strong and the signature small. Great stuff!

A garden gate seems an obvious image when asked to take 10 steps from your door - but this is the only entry that considered this as a subject....there is an air of mystery here - what lies before and beyond? I particularly liked the contrast between the green of the hedge and the brown of the gate...a simple and well composed image....

I like the idea for this photograph as the shadow isn't a total copy of the original hanging ornament. I don't often provide suggestions for improvement but in this particular case I will as it might have been included in my top ten had you concentrated on the hanging, rope and shadow as I feel that the stuff at the bottom of the picture does distract from what with a bit of cropping would be a very nice image...great idea though and well observed...

There were a number of high quality photographs of birds entered I to the contest - this one stood out for me as the feathers on the chin and neck are beautifully in focus and contrasting with the blur of the background - full marks to the Robin for posing and to the photographer for being in the right place and taking such a great image...

I would like to have seen more entries including windows as the ability to reflect can provide another interesting dimension to an image. The window in this photograph provides a view of the garden fence, sky and what is beyond and therefore I'm attracted to the idea you are trying to portray. Simple and straightforward ....

Good to see photographs taken by mobile phones and in this one in particular I like the overall colour and texture of the image. The moth adds contrast and the overall effect is for me a well composed and effective photograph...

This is exactly what I was looking for when I devised the competition - going outside and observing the detail of the world around you....it is the rain that has made this photograph stand out for me and well done in being prepared to exploit the weather in this way....the colours are wonderful....!

I was after well observed simplicity and this image fits the bill perfectly....there were many images of flowers entered into the contest but this one took my eye because of the fleeting glimpse of focus on an otherwise soft image placed within a very shallow field of focus...the variation of colour in the background hints at a context for the grass stem rather than completely isolate it...

I like this one because there is an air of mystery to the image - are these for sale? - I'm assuming so because of the bags...the colours work very well together and the image is unique amongst the entries...in that there is a back story...but what is it?

Patterns and textures - created by the moss growing between the paving stones. Yet another effective example of looking downwards....I have wrestled with the idea of the stray leaf and can't make up my mind as to whether the image would be even better without it...regardless of this, it is a powerful image - great colours...

So simple, so effective....again, this image meets my objective for the contest in the way it demonstrates a simply observed and executed image. I love the contrast between the black background and the dappled light on the table - and I'm sure that this would only work in black and white.....

Very few images entered into the contest showed something of the paraphernalia of everyday life - many entrants decided to answer the brief through images of the natural world - predictable in the context of many previous contests which are based on this. Therefore, it was good to see something different - your bike - nicely shot and composed....hope you enjoyed your ride....

I'm a sucker for Aliums - and after all, I'm taking a subjective view of the entries to this contest - so I've commended it. However, its not just that I like Aliums - I really like the depth of field you have adopted where the few seed heads in the foreground really stand out...great shot!

Commended due to the fact that this one is a little different - and a somewhat amusing image....the idea of the gulls awaiting feeding and their constant presence is a ready made subject - with a particularly nice chimney....however, one small point is that I would like to have seen the roof line squared up with the framing of the image...as my eyes seem to slide down with the slightly sloping roof....but this is a minor issue - well done!

A strong image and I particularly like the tone and the composition - allowing space around the dragonfly and a hint of where it has travelled from. There were a number of dragonfly images entered into the contest - and whilst this isn't the most colourful - I picked it out as the one that appealed most to me...I really like the composition..

There were many flowers images entered into the contest - many were excellent...however, I have chosen this one as I like the lone daisy against the blurred green background along with the overall colour effect...its an image about feelings rather than pin sharp technical macro of which I see a lot of...and all the better for it...

There were a lot of Bee images entered into this contest - whether this was as a result of a previous recent contest, I have no way of knowing - many of these photographs were excellent and for me, this was one of the very best - nice detail...and a very clear image...

Now and again, photographs are entered into contests which are the wrong way round - tipped on their side - maybe as a result of the upload process - I don't know. This image is also tipped on its side and whether or not this is deliberate I have no way of knowing - however, whilst I do think it will be more effective rotated to the right - I do like the way the shadows have been captured...along with the texture of the ground...

I tried to bias my judging towards generic images that could have been taken 10 steps from anyones door....and not feature the advantages or otherwise of the architecture of ones home base. However, the most striking aspect of this image for me is the mood created in post production of a slightly menacing sky and the fact that the photographer took advantage of the passing plane as a focal point for the composition - few of the entrants decided to look upwards for their inspiration and this is a very good example...

This image appealed to me - I like the pattern of the leaves against the sky and the sun....the image works very well in black and white and I particularly like the overall tonality of the image. My eye flits around it following the patterns of the leaves....