Entrances and exits

This classical architectural photograph is the winning image because its simply so elegant. It looks very science-fiction or like a set from Dr Strangelove, but this belies a very well exposed and confident composition. The lighting in the space is complex, making the image difficult to expose. I don't think its a colour image, the colour palette is so muted, but the green glass of the stair treads shows it been shot in colour, which was the right choice; black and white would have been too obvious. I really want to walk down this staircase, but fear I'm not glamorous enough.

I'm not sure I totally understand this photograph, but I really like it anyway! It looks like a constructed, model photograph, similar to the work of the artist Thomas Demand who also works with cardboard sets in his photographs. I always really like constructed images because they are creating photographs in an entirely different way; they talk about the nature of the photograph, the framing and construction of the image itself as well and the subject matter. A fanstastically intriguing image!

This is a stunning photograph of a very dramatic staircase. I love the intensity of the red walls, again its a very filmic submission to this competition. The composition is great, having the staircase dominating the centre of the frame was the correct decision. But, my only problem with the photograph is the 'muddiness' of the people on the left side of the frame. They disappear into the shadows but this does not contribute anything to the composition; it would have been better to wait until the space was completely empty. This would have emphasised the drama of the space and this photograph.

This photograph is an example of a familiar trope within photography, that of an old door and textures, but what makes this a winning image is the photographers choice to shoot with a shallow depth of field. By softening the background of the photograph, our attention is drawn to the round door handle and textures surrounding it. Again within this competition we have a photograph with a glorious and luminous blue dominating the colour palette. Even the perspective of the photograph works, the direction of the vertical lines leads our eye throughout the photograph.

I absolutely love the extreme minimalness of this photograph. The reduction of elements to shades of white and grey and the blankness of the architecture is fantastic. It reminds me of the work of the German photographer Götz Diergarten, who works within similar minimal architectures and colour palettes. The composition is spot on, the few lines the photograph has a straight and parallel, any deviation from this would have weakened the image. And again, the correct choice by the photographer to work in colour, rather than desaturate the image to black and white, which would have been too obvious.

This is a very beautiful photograph of a derelict stairwell in Havana. The composition is good; the positioning of the staircase in the left of the frame, leading up to the top right of the photograph is strong and confident. But, my problem is with the exposure of the photograph, its too contrasty and shadow and highlight details have been lost. I realise this may be due to a 'lost in translation' problem with computer monitors on the internet, but the photograph just appears too extreme in its shadow and highlight areas. Its a difficult photograph to expose, but it just appears too burnt out in the highlights at the front of the image unfortunately.

This is a very evocative photograph of an abandoned hut. It reminds me of the work of the American photographer William Christenberry who photographs similar architectures in Alabama. The problematic composition of the photograph was the reason for it not being more successful in the competition. The framing needs more rigour, with this type of architectural photograph its a shame to loose the pitch of the roof and also the camera needed to be more straight in elevation to the building.