Construction

Sometimes less is more and this is a perfect example. There's a nice graphic to the composition, the sky is full of mood and contrast, there's detail in the concrete and the ratio of sky to concrete is spot on ! The ladder's in the golden section , perfecting the composition. But what I really love about is that it makes me smile, I'm not sure why. Is it an escape ladder, is someone about to climb it, has someone just come down from it ?! Love it. Inamongst thousands of images of cranes against sunsets this is a breath of fresh air and I've enjoyed looking at it. Keep looking for and finding these shots

I do like images that make me smile and this one does. I love how the composition is framed again by the mirror frame and the repetitveness is cheery and fairground like.. However the health and safety is frightening ! Everything about the way he's standing on that ladder is wrong, I hope he didn't fall off after you'd taken this ! When I shoot construction commercially for a construction company or developer for example, I have to be mindful of photographing bad practice, or even a suggestion of, because the story would be 'bad health and safety' as opposed to 'look at the amazing work we're doing'. So I wouldn't take this shot ! But it's fab, keep doing it

This is super ! The texture, the colours, the detail, the composition, shape, structure, perspective., your viewpoint, the fabulous light, not too harsh and not too soft : all adds up to a really strong super image. I see you shot it with a focal length of 170mm. I'm a lover of long lenses for architecture and construction, you can really play with perspective. Most people assume we work entirely with wide angle lenses, you've proved here that long lenses have their place. Shot wide this wouldn't have kept it's repetitive nature as the metal bars wouldn't have been so uniform in shape and size.

Wow. what a brave and brilliant exposure ! We photographers spend our lives weighing up the pros and cons of exposing for highlights or shadows or something mushy and inbetween. Often we can use the narrow contrast range of photos to our benefit, to hide stuff in the shadows or to make a statement with composition ; this is a great combination of using exposure to make a shot. His expression is also good, I wait with finger poised on the shutter, for that golden moment when a person's expression is right. He looks in control but nervous, I love how he's looking up, is it in hope or is he talking to a work mate or is he wondering where he is or is he waiting for something to be passed to him ? I love shots that make me ask questions about what's going on, it means they've been successful 'story telling' shots. I can also see this isn't a glamorous location, it's a guy in some kind of buidling void and a bit of an opening grille. You've mamaged to get a great shot out of those circumstances, as opposed to pointing your camera up at Sagrada Familia ! Well done. I've now read your description and see it's inside a turbine, so more credit to you for managing this after a long climb up and in a confined space.

Love this - the light, the scale, the colours. The colourful workers against the grey, muted colour building, the different textures, the vague reflection, it all adds upto a really nice image. To improve it even more, and this is purely my own opinion and totally subjective ; what if the people were off centre ? Either one third in or out of shot, I wonder if that would make the composition stronger. You may disagree and that's fine. If they're going to be centre, make sure its's absolutely centre with strict straight lines. I've read your notes, yes they are only on one plank ! but are also harnessed. Having said that they're brave aren't they ?! I wonder how high up, wobbling around in the wind trying to do their work - very impressive !

This has a still life quality to it. Absolutely MADE by the view out, without it the scene would be less interesting. The composition and viewpoint is also nice, helped by the timber stored vertically. and the off centre window frame. I love the triangles, the iregular bits of wood, they're saying 'difficult work in progress'. Most commercial building sites are tidy nowadays. for safety and for recylcing purposes, this is showing that with a touch of human, where someone is in a hurry or had a long day and has stacked the planks in a rush, it also helps to break up the composition. Nice exposure handling too, enough detial in the hihglights and enough in the shodows. To nit pick, if you've got photoshop you could pull the vertical carcassing into line with the edge of the image, but that really is nit picking !

This is more interesting than the average crane shot ! I love the shapes that all the vertical subjects are making ; the trees, the cranes, the streetlights, I love the streetlights ! Espeically that one is on red and one on green, without the traffic lights this would be like any other shot, with them it's more interesting, there's more of a story being told. I see it was taken from a moving car ! Wow, well done, it's hard to do that, you get no time to compose. Maybe you were just luck wtih composition, the sunrise and the lights being on - it doesn't matter if it was by luck or if you worked really hard to acheive it. You've captured a moment in time that's full of interest, the sillhouettes of the trees make the skyline more interesting and give the whole scene a 3d element

I love humour in photographs ! Thank you for this, I can imagine you having a little chuckle to yourself when you took this. There were loads of entries of cranes, when everyone shoots and enters very similar images, it's lovely when us judges come across shots that make us smile or that are out of the norm. Thanks.

Thank you for your originality ! In a sea of cranes on skylines and Sagrada Familia this is a welcome breath of fresh air. It makes me smile, I'm not sure why, the two wrapped scafoolding poles look like feet, maybe dancer's feet ! The (is it a ?) taxi with the light on really brings the shot alive, the light on the foam is nice and soft but directional, so adding dimension. The focus is spot on ; detail in the wet tarmac and the subject. The wet weather's helped this scene, it makes the pavement far more interesting and sparkly, I imagine in dry weather this shot would not have such impact. So well done, nice shot, I can imagine you lying on the ground and getting wet or perhaps you used the screen and kept yourself dry ! Personally speaking, I don't like autographs on images. You're covered by Copyright law for improper use, providing you take the right steps obvs, and there are other ways of telling people who you are, for me it spoils an image and almost puts me off, but that is only my personal opinion.

This is a nice shot with atmosphere. Nicely exposed, there's detail in the clouds and the foreground, the colours are warm and gorgeous ! Sorry I said 'no' - it's purely about the brief. Which is about construction, not about ship loading. This image would do better in a compettion about industry or shipping or ports or man made machinery, something like that.

While I understand your reason for why this fits the brief, I'm sorry but all the images that don't show 'construction' in progress are classed as not complying with the brief. Harsh I know but it's contruction not contructed. Save this for an architectural detail or colour or abstract competition. This comp is construction, and this is something that's been constructed, which could include everything that's ever been built or made in the past...

It's always lovely to see rarer types of construction. A roof being thatched is more interesting to me than a crane on a skyline. This thatcher is highly skilled and a rare breed, I'm interested in how he's doing it, it looks like it involves pushing wires into pre-bundled bundles (I'm sure there's a more technical description !). I also like the colour in this, the contrast of the green landscape with the natural thatch material and the blue of the building. I assume the building was more grey and neutral in colour to the human eye but (is it Scotland ?) the cool blue colour of the daylight is because of the colour temperature set in camera. It's saying 'winter' and cold to me. Backed up by the fact he's wearing gloves and a hat. Architecturally, I also like how the straight angles of the building contrast with the natural curves and irregularity of the landscape it's sitting in. Can I offer some opinions on how to improve this kind of shot ? I'd like to see what the thatcher is doing in more detail,. I appreciate with your viewpoint this would be hard to do, but perhaps when he's working higher up the roof, the scaffold tower won't be in the way. Or try a different viewpoint, being up there with him could produce some great shots but I don't know if you're another thatcher, you own the house or just passed by, so don't know if you're allowed to go up there with him. I'd also like to see the opposite ; more of the landscape, more of this place where this construction is being carried out, the main subject area doesn't have to be dominant spacially, it can take up less of the frame. So my advice - go close in and also try going wide !

I really like this shot, it's got something compositionally. I can see by reading your notes that it's a construction site but I can't see any sign or hint of construction and that's why it's scored a 'no'. Sorry about that but I'm strict when it comes to the brief. But please don't be disheartned because this is a great shot. It's got prespective, with foreground interest and the lovely scene in the distance. The boats in the water absolutely make the shot better, more interesting, more a 'moment in time'. The foreground ; the way you've cropped the chair with it's lovely shadow, the framing that the ballustrade adds to the scene - lovely.. Next time get something that says 'construction' in shot, whether it's a wider view or a hard hat on the seat. Save this particular image for a competition where it would meet the brief completely, 'holliday view' or chairs or balconies or sea view, that kind of theme. It's a nicely seen image, keep seeing like this.

I can't help feeling that this isn't a real scene, a few things don't sit right. Mainly the light difference between the diggers and the people. And their expression and stance, they don't look like they're walking across a building site. Arm in arm, looking adoringly at the baby, wouldn't you be looking around, looking at the ground or for an exit, maybe having an argument about ending up aon a building site?! I wonder if it's a way of making the image more interesting ? If it is photoshopped, you've done a good job with cutting out and the shadow on the ground etc but my personal opinion is that it's a bit eery, a bit uncomfortable. But as I say, that's just my opinion. If the lighting and contrast and colour of the people was the same as the scene (the scene is quite warm, yellow, the people are quite cold, blue, like they've been shot at different times of day in different lights. Please don't take this as criticism, actually I respect your creative way of thinking ; how to make a scene more interesting, how to mess with the norm. Keep doing it !

I love seeing scale and perspective in wide angle views. Instead of filling the frame with construction machinery you've showed us context, which can make an image so much more interesting. The images is showing an entire site/area of development, the kind of image that would be useful commercially ; for the developer/council/construction co/architectural materials supplier/engineeer to show how well their site is progressing, how greenery is a big part of the development and of course, with the figure in the foreground (and personal touches on the balconies), a human element which is far more interesting than a shot of a crane against a skyline. I wonder if it was easy or hard for you to get this high viewpoint, what a different shot it would be from street level. If I was shooting this scene I'd let the guy walk along a bit so he's not quite so central in the frame, but I'm being very fussy ! Great shot

This is a nice shot, the colours are nice and it's full of detail and texture. I love the slightly moody weather. But this is a crane for loading shipping, not a construction crane. Sorry to be pedantic, and to pick on you !, there were a few images of dock cranes, all have been discounted as they're not on brief. This crane is not in construction, in fact it looks disused,
a piece of lovely industrial heritage from a bygone age...I love the wet ground, the old train tracks leading the eye in and the security fence which add to the story and help define the composition. Nicely executed, try and find a contest it fits better into.