A Magical Christmas

A beautiful study of the moment a young child meets a new "friend" on Christmas morning. You have captured the moment perfectly, and it would be fascinsting for us to know the thoughts of the child in this moment. The lighting and shadows could be considered a distraction, but for me it adds to the naturalness of the shot. A good decision to convert to black and white, as it avoids any distraction bright colours may present. I also love the little out of focus spots of light in the background which identify the scene as being at Christmas. Congratulations on your second place finish.

There were obviously a lot of entties of Christmas decorations in this contest, but for me this one stood out from the rest. Captured from close-in, choice of aperture is spot on, as we get just a small section of the pretty coiled wire ornament in sharp focus, with the rest still being identifiable but falling pleasingly out of focus. Colouring is lovely, with the frame filled with rich golden yellow. The little catches of highlights complete the scene by conveying some Christmas sparkle. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

This beautiful portrait of a young child surrounded by some elaborate Christmas trees really conveys the magical feeling of Christmas. I imagine this is a set-up shot, but everything works together to create a lovely narrative. Some may find the bright haze of light in the background and reflecting off the floor a little distracting, but for me it somehow adds to the atmosphere and the full attention of the shot remains on the child's face. Great focusing to allow the furthest tree to become pleasingly out of focus to become the perfect backdrop to the subject. Congratulations on your winning image.

This is an image I like more thx longer I look, and it rose up through the rankings during my judging. A simple still-life shot, elevated by superb use and capture of the light, which casts long shadows and picks out small areas of the carved artwork to reveal the form and features of the piece. The monochromatic colouring also works well, with the rich browns bringing a lovely warmth to the shot. Congratulations on your third place finish.

What a fun and gorgeous image. I cannot know whether the shot was staged or spontaneous, but either way it captures the moment perfectly, as the child shows pure delight in meeting this strange little creature for the first time. Lighting and focusing are spot on, as the initial attention is on the face of the child (and her charmingly chipped nail polish!) and then the furby, before moving to admire the tree and gifts in the background which help add to the narrative of the scene. A delightful image, well done on your top ten placing.