Christmas Crackers

I love the dark tones of this image. Crackers can be mysterious things, in as much as you never know what surprise they might contain and, here, there is the added mystery surrounding an absent cracker. An inspired production that captured my imagination.

Most of my original shots were documentary, taken to remind me of a past experience later on in life. As such, many tend to be viewed for the memory more than the image itself. This one captures both an enjoyable image and a memory, providing even greater satisfaction when nostalgia calls.

I find the pastel shades in this image most attractive. Not only that, I love the angle. It’s carefully composed with the line of crackers across the diagonal and even the crackers have been placed out of line to enhance the scene.

I have tried to capture the spark of a cracker as it is pulled, but without much success, so I congratulate you on finding a successful means to achieve that kind of image. This is a most imaginative way of presenting the festive occasion of Christmas with a cracker. I love the burst of excitement, portrayed by the sparkles. I would like to have seen a title, something like “Christmas Sparkle” perhaps, but most viewers will simply enjoy the impact of this inspired portrayal.

Thank you for putting together such a well-produced composite for my “Christmas Cracker” contest. You have even thoughtfully included the essential joke, novelty item, and party hat to produce a most convincing (and festive) shot. Congratulations on your Top Ten placement (- I think you may need a larger hat now !-)

The subject for this contest was not one that many would have been able to draw from an existing portfolio, so I’m most grateful to all those who took the trouble to create something suitable for this festive contest at such a busy time. I have enjoyed judging all the entries and hope you appreciate the results.

This place setting is great, inviting me to sit down and enjoy a jolly occasion. I like the attractive attractive red tones, without the distraction of other colours. When taking shots of a table, I find it best to take them early rather than with partly consumed food around and this one succeeds because of that. Indeed, it was so inviting that it became my first choice – congratulations! The cracker is clearly the subject of attention, whilst the remaining items provide a hint of the occasion I’m invited to.

This is a very clever composition, one that I might not have stopped to study had the body of the cracker not appeared unusually long. The change of colour and removal of the ring from the ‘right’ hand show that you have taken care with the detail, whilst the overlay of the snow and a sprig of holly conceal the simple mirroring well. This would make a perfect Christmas card, (- especially if the twins are identical !-).

There were a few variations of this setting and this is the one I preferred, mainly because parts of the cracker in the others were off the shot. In this one, the whole of the subject is visible and the angle is as if I am sat at the table. It’s not that I have anything against those taken from above - such images can add interest because of a less familiar angle - but, assuming that these are all from the same photographer, I thought I’d explain why I favoured this particular version.

I love handicrafts, and the bright colours of this image drew my attention to it. Someone has taken care to produce this, although I’m not sure how well it might work as a cracker. At first, I thought this might have been in a bathroom setting but then I realised that the cardboard was a former for the cracker rather than the remains of a paper roll! A good shot should intrigue and provoke thought if it is to endure and this one did for me!

Christmas is an exciting time and these Reindeer crackers promise excitement. The image is perfect, allowing me to admire someone’s handiwork in detail. I’m just thinking that there might have been more of them (isn’t Santa drawn by nine Reindeer?) but that would become a rather large party. I’m sure that all involved will have a jolly good time when these are pulled!

I loved the simple, square format of this image, and the good use of diagonals. The contrasting colours provide an attractive result, well focused with sharp detail. It does not matter that the cracker is not perfectly in line with the pattern, but I would have moved it downward slightly to avoid the change of colour in the bottom LH corner.

The aftermath of a party is not always a pretty one but, here, the unattractive side has been kept out of sight. The cracker remains have been assembled together to provide a pleasant reminder of the occasion, before they are discarded. This one was different!