Bottles

The unusual viewpoint, shot from directly overhead, makes this image immediately eye-catching. Once it has the attention, the viewer can then linger a while and enjoy this delightful collection of ancient little bottles. The generally pastel shades are lovely and bring a harmonious look to the shot. Personally I would maybe be a little less heavy on the vignette, which has over-darkened the corners and removed a lot of the lovely colours in those areas. A super image however. Well done on your top ten placing.

A great monochrome shot of an interesting bottle with a swing-top. Lighting is great, with the strong light coming from behind well handled, showing some of the features such as the stopper in near silhouette, but naturally the light is still shining through the glass of the bottle, creating some lovely shapes and patterns. The bold contrasts work well and suit the subject, and it is good that we are in nice and close to the most interesting features of this bottle. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

Although this scene was presumably set up for you and photographed as found, you have realised the potential for a great shot of these lovely brown ceramic bottles,and made best use of the light through a controlled exposure. The light looks to be natural, falling from the side to partially illuminate the subject, with the areas in shadow darker, but not over-dark. I love the colours, with the frame filled with the rich brown of the bottles and subtle muted dark grey and brown of the wood. Congratulations on your second place finish.

A striking image with beautifully contrasting colours of blue and yellow. Although the items in the shot are maybe a little incongruous with no obvious connection between a bowl of lemons and an empty bottle, for me the image is more about the colours and shapes than the objects themselves. Being a little picky, there is an odd effect of light/colouring on the backdrop behind the bottle, and I wonder if that area has been lightened a little too much to ensure the bottle does not blend in with the backdrop. I would maybe try slightly darkening down the rightmost third of the backdrop. Still a super eye-catching image however. Well done on your top ten placing.

A lovely, creative image, making the gleaming shadows of the bottles more the subject than the bottles themselves. Light shining through bottles can create a variety of patterns and here you have recognised that potential and set up the bottles to make a great shot. Well done on your top ten placing.

A super image of an attractive collection of bottles, with lovely colours creating a great feel to the shot. Set-up of such still-life images can sometimes be tricky to get right and to be pleasing on the eye, but the composition works well here with the larger bottle centrally placed, and the smaller ones positioned around it. Lighting is great, and it creates some nice visual effects where the light bounces through and around the different facets of the surfaces. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

A great high-key shot, with a couple of drooping pink blooms set into a cluster of green bottles. The composition is bold, but making the decision to only show the upper part of the bottles I think is key to the success, and in most cases it is the top section of a bottle that has the most visual appeal in terms of the varied shape of the glass. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

A beautiful capture of a collection of attractive vintage bottles. Colouring is lovely, with blends of greens and creamy-browns. It is never easy to hit the composition and framing in shots such as this, but here I really like that the subject fills the frame, just ensuring nothing is cropped into at the top. The details on the bottles are clear and sharp, allowing those with an enquiring mind to study the writing to discover what these fabulous bottles once contained. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

Something about this image drew me in, and the more I look, the more I appreciate the shot, so much so that it takes my top spot. Different from the predominantely set-up still life shots entered in this contest, we are presented with a natural looking scene of the sauces and condiments basket at the end of what looks to have been a satisfying pub meal. The use of a wide angle lens has given the subjects in the foreground prominence, and we can then get a glimpse of the rest of the scene in the pub beyond. Great conversion to black and white with a full range of tones from black through to white. Congratulations on your winning image.

The lovely bright colours are an immediate draw to this image. Selective focusing has been well handled, by using a wide aperture to obtain a shallow depth of field, and choosing a bottle on which to get sharp focus about a third of the way up the frame. The remainder of the scene is rendered pleasingly out-of-focus, rather than a distracting blur. A slightly different take on the theme of bottles, maybe you made a purchase and enjoyed the contents? Congratulations on your third place finish.