Birds

Puffins are a perennially popular subject for photographers, and we got plenty of puffins entered in the competition, but the unusual angle of this one caught the judges' eye. On top of that, the depth of field has been used incredibly well: the puffin's eye and beak are brilliantly sharp, yet by the time you get to his feet things are blurred. It shows the photographer has really understood that all the important details of puffins are in their heads, and below that an idea of form and colour is all that's needed to convey the bird to the viewer.

Normally we'd insist on photos being pin-sharp and with some background interest, but the noise and white background in this image are what help make it so good. The gulls on the left and right are very blurred, so that their feathers almost seem to fade into the background. The viewer is also compelled to interact with the photo: the decreasing sizes of the birds draws your eye from left to right, but the head of the central seagull is the sharpest part of the image, so your eye returns instinctively to it.

A combination of a strong photograph and careful colouring in post-production made this the most powerful image of a vulture in the competition. The bird absolutely dominates the frame, though there's enough detail in the sky and the rock the bird is standing on to give the viewer a strong sense of place. Often when images are sharp from close to the camera right to the sky it can weaken the overall impact of the subject, but that's not the case here.

The subject was 'Birds', and we felt this photo really epitomised that. The shapes of the birds, and the fact that they're all flying in the same direction, gives the impression of elegance and purpose, and, of course, of flight. We also felt that the fact this shot is in monochrome, and that the birds fade as they become more distant from the camera, helps the viewer to find objects to focus on and prevents the whole image feeling chaotic.

This is not the most interesting bird to look at, with subtle grey, brown and black feathers that would be easily overlooked in many situations. However, the photographer chose a location and time of year that turns those things into an advantage. With no distracting greenery and a very pale background, the body of the bird cuts the frame in two, while attention is drawn to the red of the berries and the yellow of the bird's beak and eye.

Can't you just hear that screech? This is a smashing portrait of a gull in its environment, and also an interesting take on summer holidays, of which the sight and sound of gulls is a big part. The fact that the gull is so much larger than the blurry humans really tells you who's king of the beach. On top of good composition, the exposure has been really well handled: bright sunlight has enabled a fast shutter speed and ensured that the bird's feathers are bright white, though there's still texture in the plumage.

We didn't get many photos showing the relationship between humans and birds, but this one is clearly set in one of the spaces they share! The flapping birds are sharp yet clearly in motion, while the girl's screwed-up eyes also let you know she's not keen to get a face full of feathers. Other people are visible in the background, but they're in more muted colours and nicely blurred, so the girl and pigeons are the clear subject of the image.

A whole succession of perfectly sharp images went into this stacked shot, which shows an oystercatcher landing and taking off immediately after. To get a shot like this it takes more than luck: the photographer would've had to observe birds doing this regularly, then set up a camera and tripod in just the right place and wait for a bird to come along – and hope the shutter speed was set just right! A lot of work has clearly gone into this shot.

Like puffins, owls and eagles were popular subjects in this competition. This particular portrait of an owl stood out not just because of its overall sharpness and the simplicity of the composition, but because it showed the owl in the darkness, not in daylight. We loved the strong contrast in this shot, and the way it makes the owl effectively fade into the night on its shadowed side. Despite that, where the bird's feathers are in the light, there's plenty of texture without overexposure.