Andrei’s image was the runaway winner, proving popular with all our judges. The light in this shot, coming from two directions, gives a beautiful depth to the scene, and shooting so that the young woman is in silhouette, with only the back of her scarf and clothing lit, demonstrates both confidence and excellent story-telling skills. The hints to her surroundings leaves us wanting to know more, which should be the aim of nearly all photographs.
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A black & white image has a certain something that colour photography simply can’t emulate, and the pursuit of a great monochrome picture is something many photographers devote their whole lives to. The joy of this category is that it is completely open – any subject goes, because the medium is equally stunning whether you shoot landscapes, portraits or go down the classic route of street photography. It’s always worth shooting with a conversion to black & white in mind – don’t make it an afterthought. Instead, when taking your images, consider things like form, tonal range, negative space and shape, as these elements become even more crucial when colour is absent. Try to head out on a shoot with the aim of working only in black & white, and you will start to see images that lend themselves to the medium everywhere.
