All the Fun of the Fair

I love this impression of fairground wonder. No matter how old we are, we can still stop and look again through the eyes of children at the brilliant tacky tawdry wonder of fairground rides and lights. This image captured that feeling for me ... It holds that sense of wonder. Well done! A highly commendable Fourth Place ...

My Winner! ... I love this shot. The expression on the young woman's face is priceless and the expressions of all three characters are telling us about their feelings and responses in this wonderfully captured fairground moment. All the fun of fairground rides includes these moments of fear and trepidation ... and this image tells its own story. Great work and many congratulations. A very worthy winner ...

There were a huge number of long exposure shots of fairground rides entered for the contest and I've commended a number of them but I've selected this image for my Top Ten because, for me, it combines the great fairgound colour and lighting with just the right shutter speed to retain some defnition and colour differentiation within the spinning fairground ride. I know these shots aren't easy and whether they work or not is a matter of subjective aesthetic judgement so I can only say that this deceptively straightforward image worked for me. Congratulations ...

This really is all the fun of the fair. There's everything but the kitchen sink in this great capture but there is an immediate central point of focus in the apparent chaos and then so much to explore once we pause to take in the detail of this well framed but fleeting moment. I also really like this shot because, unlike so many images submitted, this composition frames all of the people in the shot and there are no distracting truncated silhouettes lining the bottom of the image. The shot selection is perfect. Very well done ...

I really like this image and I'm sure that anyone who has ever walked around a fairground recognises the ride attendant grabbing his moment in the limelight, showing off on the ride and tring to impress the girls. Strut your stuff! ... That may be misjudging the young man here but that's what the image says to me. It's a great moment and also perfectly illustrates why fairgrounds can be such great locations for candid street photography. If you add into that mix the almost retro style colour treatment and, to my eye, that makes a winning combination. A very highly commended Top Ten place. Well done!

There were a number of great images of carousel horses submitted to this contest but this composition really stood out for me. There is a wonderful visual tension here between the apparently detached and formal documentary record of this horse and the stunning colours. For me this beautifully restored and very unique horse evokes all the sound and sensations of childhood fairgrounds that have long since gone .. It suggests a splendour that only really exists in that childhood imagination. I love this shot ... My Runner-Up! Many congratulations ...

I loved the feeling of anticipation in this shot. The crowds are arriving and the bright lights of the fairground are enticing them along the path. I also really like the play with the shadows and the excellent capture of the crowd with the silhouetted figure closest to the lens providing a triangular shape to the crowd which gives it visual cohesion. The balance is just right with the big wheel providing immediate visual interest and the triangle of verticals on the left balancing the shot perfectly. The whole image has also been framed so that everything has room to breathe and work together as a whole. A really great shot ... Another very highly commended Top Ten winner! Thank you ...

For me, this composition is a perfect capture of traditional fairground rides, sideshow lettering and garish night time colour. A perfect summary of fairground magic when the lights get bright and the music gets loud. Great shot and a certainty for my Top Ten from the start of judging. Thank you ...

There were a number of excellent shots of swing chair rides submitted to the contest but this composition really stood out for me. The photographer really nailed this one. It is technically spot on but I love the image because of its stark graphic power and superbly balanced colouration. A very hghly commended Top Ten place ... Well done!

I am awarding Third Place to this very well observed composition because, for me, it captures so well that 'disappointed feeling' when the fairground came to town on a cold wet evening when most people had either left or simply stayed away. I live in a town that hosts the longest street fair in England every autumn so I know these evenings all too well. This is the moment when all the fun of the fair went away but there are still people on the streets looking and hoping ... Excellent composition. Thank you for sharing.

I couldn't let this image pass by without comment. It may not have much to do with the strict confines of the brief but it is most certainly fun ... a crazy and challenging surreal fun fair of its own making. I really loved this image so ... thank you for sharing it with us.