Circles

This interior scene of the V&A Museum in London is a common subject for photographers, but most tend to convert the picture to black & white. Here the muted colour palette is a great success, and the photographer has done well to balance the highlights and shadows.

Simple, graphic and well balanced, this shot is an instant hit. Everything is stripped back to the basics, namely shapes, colours and shadows. The square crop works well, while there is just enough space at the sides to give the main circle room. It’s incredibly satisfying to look at.

There are so many dishes and bowls here that the eye jumps from one to the next exploring the contents before moving on. As our eye is naturally drawn to red, we take a path though the image from top to bottom and side to side. The only thing that jars slightly is the crop at the top – seeing one leg of one of the traders feels a bit too abrupt (even though it might have been unavoidable).

Nicely composed and pleasingly atmospheric, this night shot of a Ferris wheel has plenty going for it. Unfortunately, the high ISO (6400) has resulted in a distracting level of noise. What’s more, the scene could do with a touch more movement or human interest. Maybe there’s a day when the wheel is operational at night with people milling around the base?

I love the feel of this shot – there’s a definite Wes Anderson vibe to the colour palette and subject matter. However, nothing in the image is completely sharp. Obviously, allowances must be made for the blur (the sea looks a little choppy), but it’s such a shame!

What looks like a simple image of a pile of cables is transformed into a naturally found still life due to the textured blue background and straw-covered surface. It’s a wonderfully seen picture that shows the keen eye of the photographer. Despite using an ISO of 1600, there is no noise to speak of.

Food photography is a popular genre, but getting things right is harder than it looks. Here, the photographer has worked hard to balance the elements without things looking forced. The plate is pleasingly cropped (allowing us to complete the circle in our head), the elements relate to the dish (which isn’t always the case) and there is great use of negative space. Personally, I would have cropped the right side even tighter to remove the line of the plank, but otherwise it’s a beautifully lit, wonderfully composed picture.

The use of odd numbers, the dark, speckled baking tray and the alternating colours of the muffin cases work well here. Unfortunately, the picture isn’t quite sharp. It might have been good to leave the cakes to cool, decorate one – patterns often look good when broken – and shoot on a tripod.

Photographing someone at work is a brilliant way to create a natural, atmospheric portrait. While we can’t see the woman’s face, we can gauge her age and her expertise by looking at the way her hands hold and position the pot. Converting to black and white helps to keep our attention on the shapes, but there is a little too much noise in the shadows.

It’s all about the light in this one – dark, rich shadows contrast strikingly well against the highlights. Despite the tricky exposure, detail has been beautifully maintained where it’s needed. The eye travels from front to back, bouncing from one tyre to the next.