Authentic Africa

This image is a worthy winner. Combining perfectly balanced composition with beautiful lighting and colour, as well as capturing two contemplative, charismatic subjects, again arranged perfectly in the photograph, that seem to suggest something deeper going on in the narrative of this image.

A very artful and evocative photograph, it seems to have captured the very last light of day to give the image a painterly quality. And as the photographer has said, the light has also picked out wonderful detail like the folds in the clothes. It could be on the wall of an art gallery just as easily as being part of a magazine feature on life in this part of Tanzania. This picture really does combine all the fundamental elements in photography that makes an image like this so memorable.

A very striking image. Not just because of the mud smeared subjects, but also because the photographer chose the perfect backdrop and arrangement of his figures, to make the most of the unusual textures and colours in the photograph. The photographer took a lot of thought in gaining the most visual impact in the picture; throwing out the background to enhance the subjects by narrowing the depth of field. Everything works in this picture. The backdrop has a very interesting texture in itself, whilst not being too busy. And of course the colour of the mud that makes these young men look like ancient statues is a wonderful colour, making the subjects jump out at you. A powerful and well thought out photograph.

This is a shot that is all about the "decisive moment". The photographer here has captured a split second moment full of emotion, expressed in these little boys' faces. A prayer becomes a moment when they can really express themselves – from singing out to laughing and joining in, as well as heartfelt belief etched in the boy's face on the right, who is praying with all his might. The viewer is immediately drawn in by the central figure in the picture, who has a wonderfully exuberant expression, joined by those around him.

This photographer has a quirky eye, and in the best traditions of street photography they have not just waited for a nice, aesthetic scene but have combined it with a bit of humour and juxtaposition. These two gentlemen in Cairo look like they are carrying a giant bottle of pepsi that is in the advertising poster on the wall behind their bread cart. The photographer has captured it just at the right moment, and the fact that the Pepsi advert is the same colour as the cart makes the image more striking. Again, the late afternoon light picks out the textures in their attire and the blanket covering the bread.

This is a very interesting shot. A montage of shapes, colours and textures set against the backdrop of a shopfront as a group of youngsters hang out on the street, waiting for it to open maybe (?) or just wasting time. The strong light makes the image more striking for it, with the bright colours of their hoodies picked out from the nicely weathered walls of the shop. I've seen many street scenes like this on my travels in that part of the world. The "Dukani" with its beers signs, battered walls and tin roof. It works as a panoramic as well, because the people in it are all in one plane in the picture; arranged nicely across the length of the frame.

This is a beautiful portrait. The photographer's take on his or her own version of Madonna and Child. The way the mother's arm is draped over her head as she breastfeeds her child is unusual but at the same time totally natural. This is the kind of portrait that is intimate and is achieved most likely because the photographer has taken the time to get to know their subject. And that is the beauty of this image – it is both both intimate and a totally natural one, that doesn't feel forced, capturing that deep gaze she has. A deep and slightly melancholic look but also a calm and confident one. And the slightly golden reflective light bathing her face makes this portrait all the more striking.

A great photograph that makes a perfect and stunningly creative use of the light, which is often very hard to do in photography. The photographer has managed to juggle the need for keeping the footballers and trees as silhouettes, whilst keeping the detail of the ground and the hills behind. What better way to capture the ubiquitous game of football in the late afternoon light that is every where you go in Africa. The photographer also had the foresight to take the action from further away to give us a sense of place but has still managed to make us feel like we are there. I can smell the dust and almost feel the light through the trees hitting my face.

The photographer really has made us get a sense of the feverish activity that's kicking up all that dust shrouding the footballers as they dart about behind the trees. A brilliantly executed photo.

A really strong portrait done in monochrome that really suits this image, stripping it of anything that may distract us from its essential strengths, which are composition and the intensity of the subjects' faces. The picture has a lovely balance to it – the boy on the left who is more prominent in the picture is slightly higher up the frame, whilst the boy to the right fits perfectly in the frame by looking into his counterpart. Grubby faces and crumpled shirts, but strong and confident and in control nonetheless. A very strong image.

A great spot by the photographer: a stark image that's both funny, but also quite bleak. It has the potential to be the kind of image that could hang in a set gallery if it had a slightly more thoughtful composition, maybe. I do also love the colours. I keep on wanting to look left, as there is not enough of where the arrow on the sign is pointing. Although the photograph is all about the sign and what it says, it doesn't have to be in the centre of the image. I think we need to see more of the road/street next to it... does 'Who cares street' run off this main road? A composition that would have the sign further to the right of the frame would perhaps be better, as the road next to it would make the image have a better balance to it anyway. Also, perhaps take the photo from a slightly lower position so the sign is isolated against the sky. I do really like this image, though.

Here is a wonderful scene, with lots of potential, but it looks like the photographer has lost confidence in it by over-doing the post production and introducing artificial photoshop-style gimmicks to it. A very well composed picture with perfect balance to it, coupled with a narrative behind it. Maybe a few seconds was needed to wait for the man on the bicycle to the right to look away from the photographer. I always like to wait around when i come across an interesting scene for the novelty of my presence to disappear, so that the subjects can then carry on doing things more naturally. A really interesting Photograph.

This is actually a very good image, where the photographer has understood how to get the best out of a scene like this. Using a long lens was a good choice, and also throwing out the background so that it's out of focus means that the viewer looks at the essential aspect of the image which are the women. Also, the background has enough information to make you have a strong sense of what this place is like. Maybe following these women as they walk would mean you could play around with different backgrounds that could provide different feels to the picture, e.g. with walls or sky that provide a simpler background could pick out the women more. Or spotting colour somewhere that matches the colour of their clothes and containers. A very well-executed photograph.

I'm a big sucker for strong composition, and how you arrange everything within your frame is often what truly defines you as a photographer. This Image is very strong because it is using the very graphic lines of the horizon, and the road leading into the blue yonder. The colours are also wonderfully muted. But what this image therefore needs is discipline in its composition.

To fully work it has to have the horizon level in the frame. It looks like more time was needed to make sure of that, unless the photographer was on his or her own and wasn't sure of what was coming up behind them! Also, having the horizon lower in the frame with a bigger sky often gives the image more impact. Maybe think about having the diagonal lines of the road both leading to the bottom corners of the frame to make the lines in the photograph even more graphic. A wonderfully bleak and strong picture nonetheless.

Because this picture has no faces or expressions or anything to immediately catch your eye, it's a tricky one to make stand out. It is nonetheless a good image showing how people in Northern Kenya fish when not using boats and more sophisticated equipment. The photographer has spotted the fish and octopus dangling from waistbands, but needs to make this more obvious in the photograph. This can be done by either moving closer to the subjects and even using a bit of fill-in flash to make the shiny fish stand out. This would also involve the photographer getting wet, but why not. It would certainly be worth it. Or, if they don't want to get wet, use a longer lens, with a shallow depth of field in order to make it easier for the viewer to pick out the fish.

The idea behind this photograph is a very intelligent, less obvious way of showing subsistence fishing in Northern Kenya.

A great action packed picture, full of vitality and nicely framed, catching children on their way to or from some exciting activity. Done on a long lens, the photographer has also used a narrow depth of field to throw out the background and make us concentrate on expressions and body shapes. Again, like so many good photos taken in many parts of Africa, this was taken either first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the sun is lower on the horizon, and less harsh on the subjects.

This is a truly powerful portrait of an individual, made all the more so by the supporting cast of friends around him exuding warmth and love for their friend. The boy nicely framed in the middle of the picture is overcome with pride and not a little embarrassment at being the centre of attention. At first, this is a funny happy picture, full of vitality, and also lit in a very interesting way using daylight from both sides of the subject. But, looking at it longer – and that is certainly what this picture makes you do – i'm struck by how poignant the image is, in the greatest traditions of humanistic social documentary photography.