Barbed Wire and Razor Wire

Just some barbed wire wrapped around a metal gate, but there is something strangely mesmerising about this image which makes it rather sttractive to view. The composition is especially strong, utilising the 'rule of thirds' without being too obvious, and care looks to have been taken over the lining up of the horizontals and verticals on the gate, which contrast nicely with the haphazardly placed wire. Conversion to black and white works well, and the whole image has been sensitively processed to be effective without being over-done. Congratulations on your third place finish.

A simple subject, but well photographed, drawing full attention to the wire wrapped around the top of the post. The long focal length, has rendred the background into a pleasing blur to help the foreground subject stand out even more. The conversion to black and white has been done well, and you have avoided making the lighter part of the background too bright, preventing any distraction. Well done on your top ten placing.

There were a lot of great entries of birds on wires in this contest, but this one stood out, as the bird does not dominate the composition, with the image being as much about the wire as it is about the bird. The composition helps, with the bird equally spaced between the bards so it in effect becomes just one subject of three. Colouring across the image is lovely with the frame filled with soft browns. Focus is great too. Well done on your top ten placing.

I love this type of image, where the subject entirely fills the frame and is both recognisable and abstract at the same time. There are masses of little details which you have captured so brilliantly, and everything is sharp (literally and focus-wise!!) throughout the image. There are some great tones with both the highlights and shadows well balanced, giving lots of texture and depth. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

Less is more is a term often bandied about, but here is a great example of that adage in action. Composition is spot-on, with the wire running across the centre horizontal line, and the barbs positioned centrally in the square frame. What works well for me is that we still see some slight variation across the background, which confirms the image as more of a natural shot than a composite set-up with an added plain background. Great differential focus, with the wire taking all the attention in sharp focus. Simple but very effective. Congratulations on your second place finish.

An interesting abstract of some loops and squiggles of razor wire above lines of barbed wire. The high contrast adds further to the abstract, allowing the eye to focus more on the lines and shapes created. Being picky, I may have been tempted to crop off the lower length of barbed wire which wire slants out of the frame on the left and could be a bit distracting, but that is just a minor point. Well done on your top ten placing.

Great use of a wider aperture to create a shallow depth of field, which draws full attention to the little barb on the wire. Everything else falls nicely out of focus, but we are still able to get a good impression of the context, looking to be a sturdy wooden gate. Conversion to black and white has been done will, with a good range of tones. Great work, eell done on your top ten placing.

I always find these animal hair snags on barbed wire to be fascinating, sometimes forming large donut shapes, at other times massive clumps strung out along a length of fence. Here however we see just one wisp of yanked hair, maybe plucked while the animal was having a pleasurable scratch?Composition is great, with both the wire and the tuft of hair well placed. The vivid green does not overwhelm and allows the wire and hair to stand out in clear contrast. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

A simple composition and a mundane subject, but an image that caught my eye as soon as I saw it and is striking in its own way. A strong photographic eye to recognise the potential in a scene such as this, and well executed photographically. The tatty plastic that is snagged on the barbed wire is well placed in the composition, and the square crop suits the subject. You have done well to portray a lot of detail and textures in a shot that is predominantly dark grey. Maybe never going to be a winner in a prettiest picture contest, but a superb entry here. Congratulations on your winning image.

What I love about this image is the differential focus between the razor wire and the partially constructed/demolished structures in the background. We get a real sense of the place through the out-of-focus view of the buildings, but the wire in the foreground is crisp and clear and the obvious focal point. The processing style adds a sense of grim in-keeping with the subject. Well done on your top ten placing.