Biplanes and Triplanes in Flight

Excellent portrait of the aeroplane that changed the nature of private flying in the UK. I'm a little surprised that you got such good prop blur at 1/160th, but you have and it's excellent. If anything, I would have lightened up the fuselage a little as the contrast between it and the sky is rather too much. I think that more detail could have been teased out of the sky which would have given the image much greater depth. The image is pin-sharp.

Love this image. The Edwardians are notoriously tricky to photograph but this is great work. Pin-sharp where it counts, but with great prop blur and the added advantage of motion blur with the trees, not to mention the fluttering flags. Good exposure and editing. The fact that this was your first visit makes this result even more commendable.

This is a lovely black and white rendering of a superb looking aeroplane. The sky beyond compliments the aircraft very well. I can easily see this printed out large and on a wall. There is good detail in the shadows and no blown highlights, so many congratulations on achieving that; it is quite rare. The high shutter speed has, however, resulted in a prop with not enough spin blur, which is unfortunate, indeed, the hub looks virtually stationary. Aside from that single criticism, the image is very good.

Superb shot of the Bristol 'Boxkite' from the Shuttleworth collection. Every turnbuckle, spoke and bracing wire is crystal clear. Exposure is spot-on, as is focussing and colour balance, although my feeling is that very little editing has been done. The Edwardian aeroplanes are always challenging, not least because of the met conditions that dictate when the aircraft can be flown. You were lucky and you made the very best of the opportunity presented.

The two Rolls-Royce Kestrel powered Hawker Nimrods based at Duxford; a Mk.I and a Mk II. Nicely posed in formation, but given a striking black and white treatment bordering on the dramatic. The airframes are sharp but the props are nicely blurred. I get the feeling that a lot of time and mental energy went into this edit and, in my view, it's paid off. This is another picture I could easily see printed large and hanging on a wall.

Even up against some strong opposition, this shot had immediate impact. The composition, focus, framing, lighting and sense of movement is exceptional. I'm guessing editing has been done with a light touch. The rotary engine and prop have been faultlessly captured. A great shot of a rare and very special aeroplane. I am very happy to declare this shot the winner.

The RAF's last biplane fighter is always a joy to behold. This great topside pass is sharp and well exposed with some decent prop blur, despite the 1/400th shutter speed. You have given the aeroplane some space to fly into, but I would have given it a bit more by moving the aeroplane to the right of the image a bit more. Still a nice image.

Very good portrait of the Bristol Fighter. Pin-sharp and not overdone at the editing stage. Great prop blur. That could easily be one for framing and putting on the wall. Ideally, there would be more detail in the sky, but that's generally beyond anyone's control. This gives the impression of being an air-to-air shot with the photographer flying alongside. I guess we all wish we could do that!

One of the earliest 'fighters' or 'scouts' to be used in the Great War. This Bristol Scout is a modern, virtually perfect, replica. The image is a good black and white with (as far as I can tell) a full range of tones. The editing has added to the quality of the image with a slightly 'gritty' or grainy look to it, which enhances the age of the prototype giving it the impression of an old photograph. The shutter has caught the prop at precisely vertical which has limited the amount of prop blur. It is, however, still clear that the prop is moving.

The forerunner of the much better known Dragon Rapide, this is a very rare aeroplane. The shot is well composed and quite sharp. The props have a good amount of blur, the colour balance is warm but not too much so. There is a reasonable amount of detail in the sky. There is some digital noise, but it's at a reasonable level. A good effort, well done.

There were a LOT of Breitling biplanes entered into this contest and this was easily the best. Excellent dynamic pose from the wing-walker and the aeroplane is pin-sharp apart from good blur on the prop. Colour saturation of both aeroplane and the sky is very good without being overpowering. A bit more sky at the front of the aeroplane would have been good, in fact a slightly looser crop all-round would have made this good image even better.

I don't know what this aeroplane is; I'm assuming it's one of the dedicated mail planes flown between the wars. What stands out for me is the excellent editing which gives a contemporary feeling to the image. It could easily have been taken in the 1920s or 30s. The shutter speed is sufficiently slow to have blurred the prop completely. You have given the aeroplane space to fly into and the trees in the background give context to the flight. My personal feeling is that the border does not add to the picture, but aside from that a very good 'aged' image. The relatively high ISO may have contributed to the somewhat 'gritty' texture, but that only adds to the image. Well done.

Great study of the Hawker Demon coming into land at Shuttleworth. Some motion blur in the background throws the subject at the viewer - in a good way! Props are always difficult to get properly blurred, but this is quite good, despite the fact hat the engine would be throttled right back as it's coming in to land. The trees in the background give context to the aeroplane. I might have wished for a bit more detail in the sky, but a very good image nevertheless.

This is a good image with bright sunlight illuminating the underside of the aeroplane which is unusual in such an old airframe. The colours are not overdone and it is well exposed with plenty of sharp detail. The shutter speed has resulted in a prop that has insufficient spin. Yes, there is some movement, but it should be more, especially for an aircraft portrayed as pulling into a climbing turn. My biggest issue is that the aircraft is flying out of the picture rather than into it. There needs to be more sky in front of it than behind and a simple crop would have sorted this. Aside from that, a very nice image.

This is a superb portrait of rarely seen aeroplane. The aircraft is sharp and well exposed and the prop has an almost perfect amount of blur. The shot is let down by an almost featureless sky. I would have liked to see a little more differentiation. Unfortunately, that dead flat sky has revealed a sensor spot which is a shame. Otherwise, it's an almost perfect portrait of this classic aircraft.

I really like this image. It's pin-sharp, the exposure is spot on and the shutter speed has given some excellent movement in the prop. There is detail in the shadows and no blown highlights. All in all, a superb portrait of the icon that is the dH Tiger Moth. Although you have given the aeroplane some room at the front that it is flying into, I feel a slightly looser crop would have put this image even higher. It just needs a tad more 'breathing room' around it. Having said that, it's a super capture.

A nice capture of one of the greatest aeroplanes ever built, the Antonov An-2. Produced from 1947 up to 2001. The image showcases what the AN-2 was designed for; getting in and out of small and unprepared or under-prepared airstrips. This one fits the brief by flying under its own power, despite the fact that it is just about to land. There is some movement of the prop, despite the high shutter speed. A good environmental portrait of the aeroplane doing exactly what is was designed for.