Buildings being used

This image is a very strong Architectural image and in a different competition I think it would do well. I would say that there were many great photos entered in this competition that I did not consider as for me they failed to meet the 'Building's being used' brief.

There were some clever exceptions but I would expect to see at least one person in the photo and ideally the person would be 'using' the building in some way rather than for instance just walkng past it. I'm a strong believer that it is essential to read and consider the brief carefully.

When judging hundreds of images this photo was always going to stand out thanks to it's inherent humour and splash of red. The contrast between the portaloo's and the College building in the background works well

Having photographed this event before myself I was also appreciative of the way the photographer has managed to create an unusual shot (not that I want to encourage people to hang around toilets with their camera.....)..

At first glance you might consider this image of Tate Modern a chaotic, overly busy image but given how well it meets the brief I thought it definitely deserved a top 10 placing. It's well composed and there's certainly plenty to keep the viewer interested. The choice of B&W means that the multitude of colours that exist in the scene don't detract from the 'spiral' composition.

The first thing that catches your eye about this image is the way the beautiful light illuminates the figures. The darkness that surrounds the women is just as important and the photographer has handled the extremes of contrast really well. The image is almost monochrome but the subtle harmonious colours add a great deal to the shot too. I think my only constructive criticism would be that the figure on the far left looks a touch 'over-brightened' in post-production and as a result stands out too much.

For me this image stood out as the winner thanks to it's strong graphic composition and the beautiful reflected light. The pair of matching stairs have created an opportunity for people to sit and chat. The people in the photo are enjoying interacting with each other but also with the building itself. The photo is also full of interesting textures which provide plenty of additional interest.

This image in my opinion came a close second. The more I looked at it the more I appreciated the clever composition, in particular the placement of the people on the line of the lower 'third' and the lighter line leading down from the top of the frame straight to them. I can't be sure how intentional it was but the inclusion of the small view through the slot towards the top left adds some depth to the image. The red dot towards the top right is maybe a slight distraction but it would be very easy to 'clone' away.