Ball games

This is an unusual and creative image which captured my attention early in the judging. The placement of the silhouetted figures is perfect and creates an exciting tension, and whether a set-up scene or naturally occurrng positions during the game, it demonstrates a strong photographic eye. The low viewpoint creates a wonderful dynamic, and also allows almost the whole of each figure, and the ball, to show as dark silhouettes against the bright sky. Creative and dynamic.

Your image title suggests these children are playing football, but judging by the arms aloft and waving in the air, I suspect there will soon be a number of "fouls" for handball! The excitement and joy being experienced by these young children is palpable, and it is a delight to explore all the faces to see their joyful expressions so well captured. A fabulous image, full of action, captured from a low perspective to give a greater excitement and dynamic to the image.

This creative image was always the one to beat from when I first saw it during the initial review. The perspective is both unusual and interesting, and allows us to become involved in the game as we see the anticipation on the faces of the boys. Your point of focus is spot on, as the faces are detailed and sharp, and the ball in the foreground is nicely out of focus so does not overpower the main scene playing out below. Black and white suits the subject as it avoids any distraction colour may bring. I could spend time wondering how you were physically positioned above the hoop to capture the shot without getting the ball in your face or the camera, but I would prefer to just admire the fabulous image your have captured!

I love the sense of tension, dedication and anticpation you have captured here, with the nervous excitement of the goalkeeper as he stretches out his arms as wide as he can in preparation for the kick at goal. The image has been well exposed with good contrasts, and there is plenty of detail in the watery field which would have been easy to over-expose due to the reflections. I especially like the inclusion of the goal netting across the image, which is clearly present but does not distract or dominate. Conversion to black and white suits the subject, as it allows the boy in the foreground to be shown in strong contrast to the surroundings.

The composition of this image, with all the action to the right and half the frame with empty space should not work, but for me it does. The conversion to black and white turns the image as much into a series of abstract shapes as it does a group of men playing football. Where I think the shot is particually successful is that you have been able to capture all the elements of the six players and the ball in complete separation from each other, with no overlap of the "shapes". A creative action shot, making great use of negative space and the overhead perspective.

The low viewpoint, close to the ball gives an unusual and creative perspective on this backstreet game of football. The initial focal point is the big blue ball and foot in the foreground, then the eye is drawn into the image to the boy in the mid-distance waiting to perform a heroic save. Great contrast between the smooth blue plasticky ball, and the rougher golden earthy tones of the ground and surrounding buildings. Great anticipatory shot, capturing the tension of the penalty shootout.

In judging this contest I was especially looking to see ball games captured from amid the thick of the action, with the ball clearly visible, and the mood of the game being clearly captured to allow the viewer to feel involved. This image contains all that, and is a well captured shot full of excitement and small-scale drama. A tilted horizon would often be criticised, but here I think it actually adds to the shot, as does the framing of the shot with most of the boys just appearing in shot on the edge of the frame Lovely lighting, rich colours and tones with sharp focus throughout the key part of the image.

This is a typical scene played out on quiet side streets around the world, and it is the everyday aspect of this shot which I really like. Super black and white work, with a great range of tones and contrasts. I especially like the composition and framing, and the inclusion of others in the shot who are not involved in the game, from the women crossing the street to the two men chatting in the background, whilst not part of the game, all key components of this street scene which is full of life and vitality.

A superbly timed image, to capture the tennis player with their face framed by the racket. On top of that the face is in clear focus, capturing the intense concentration during the game. I also like the additional puff of dust trailing behind the ball, set off from the moment of impact. The crop is maybe a little tight, and it may have been nice to see a little more space for movement around the subject to balance the image, but the intensity of the moment has been caught with perfect timing.

This is a commendable image and one I almost awarded, as I really like the moment which has been captured, especially the tug on the back of the shirt to try to hold back the central player, which conveys the sense of desperation to stop the ball being carried over the line. However, on reading the accompanying information, in which you say this is not your photo, I did not feel it right to award a contest entrant if they were not the photographer of the image. However you son should be very pleased with how he has been captured mid-action, but sorry I cannot commend for the reason mentioned.

Although the faces of the players are not included in this image, we get a real sense of the mood of the game. Focusing and the shutter speed used are spot on, and I especially like the capture of the texture, gleam and movement of the sodden clothing and the splosh of muddy water on the left. The passion many people have for football all over the world is communicated in this creatively composed and well captured black and white shot.

This is an interesting image which immediately drew my attention due to the atmospheric capture of the golden hazy light. I have not awarded the image in this contest however, as it is not obvious to me that this is a ball game. I do really like the softness created by the gentle light of the setting sun, with some lovely warm shades. A lovely image to view, but as I said above, just not enough evidence of a ball game to award here.

There were a number of images of dogs playing ball in the contest, but for me this one has really captured the action. The side/back lighting, and the darkened background, brings an added dimension to the shot. Focus on the ball and face of the dog is spot on, and judging by the look of those teeth, I am not sure I would want to be involved with this fellow in anything other than a friendly game! Nice capture of the different textures across the image too.

You have done a great job here in capturing the intensity of the physical effort involved in the game, and the urgency on the faces and bodies of the players as they battle to either keep or tackle for the ball. The splashes from the watered pitch add to the sense of movement and action. The colour contrasts work well, although I may have been inclined to slightly tone down the yellow of the advert hoarding on the top left so the main focus for the eye remains in the thick of the action, but the bold colours add to the sense of tension and excitement.

Very close to the top spot in this contest, this is a shot which has been captured at the perfect moment, just after the ball has left the young child's hand. By photographing the image from this viewpoint close to the target, you have been able to capture the concentration and expectation on all the children's faces. I don't know how many times the throw was made and the pieces restacked before you got this shot, or maybe you were lucky to get this first time? Whichever, it is a superbly executed image. Some may feel uncomfortable about the placement of the boy on the edge of the frame in the foreground, but I think it adds to the dynamics of the image.

There were a number of images entered in this contest of this fascinating game which looks to demand extremes of flexibiliy and agility. One of the strengths of this shot is the capture of the boldly coloured street art forming the backdrop to the scene, but those colours unfortunately also mean the eye has to hunt around for a while to find the yellow ball. Well captured with good focus and exposure across the image, with the reflections of the graffiti adding some lovely patches of colour to the playing surface too.

This image captures both the action of the play, but also the emotion of the supporters in what your added description tells us is the closing moments of the game. The slightly wider format allows a good view across the shot, and although the key focus is on the ball and two central players, it is fascinating to let the eye wander around the shot to see the sense of tension on the faces. Some would be critical of all the background dstractions making this shot too "busy", but for me that is what the image is about as much as the play, and it has been well captured.

This is a good action shot, capturing a key moment of the game. The fast shutter speed has captured the action by freezing the motion, and the wide aperture has allowed the supporters to be slightly out of focus to enable the players to stand out. Unfortunately what has let the image down a little for me is the presentation of the image with the shadow effect digital frame and the added writing. I find those elements a little too distracting and my eye is drawn to the frame rather than the action of the ball game. A fine action shot, but sadly not awarded in this contest due to the presentation of the frame which draws the attention away from the shot.

You have done well here to spot tbe potential for a great shot, with the players silhouetted against the background, and the ball, although tiny, is easy to spot. Where I think you could improve this image further is in a little additional editing. Firstly it is generally worth having the horizon level, and then possibly try cropping off a proportion of the plain sky to create a more "letterbox" format. With this shot, it could work well to also try and boost the contrasts, to make the whites whiter and the blacks blacker, to further emphasise the silhouette effect. Still an interesting capture of a high number of silhouetted beach fooball players.

This is a super portrait photograph of a young man holding a basketball. However, in this contest I was looking for images which conveyed action and a strong sense of a game being played, rather than a ball being used as a prop in a studio-type portrait shoot. For that reason I have not awarded this image (and similar portraits entered showing the same subject or photographic style, presumably by the same photographer). It is however a great portrait, with the lighting being used to good effect to show the form of the body, and excellent black and white conversion and use of a black background to further highlight the subject. Great focus on the intensity of the eyes, but unfortunately not for this contest where I was looking for a more active "game" element, not just a ball in a static portrait shot.

This shot has a lot of potential, and has all the elements for a super image. The figures, both silhouetted and reflected are all well positioned and all separated from each other to avoid being unidenifiable shapes. Where I think this image could be improved a little is by increasing the overall exposure to lighten the grey areas. This would in effect increase the contrast, which would likely add more impact to the shot. I would keep the image as black and white though, as I think that is a good choice. Great shot, maybe worth experimenting with exposure and contrasts in image editing software.