Flowers in Black and White

There were many similar views of similar types of flowers entered into this contest, but somehow this one stood out to get a place in my top ten. I don't know whether the lighting is natural, but it looks natural and creates some interesting highlights and darker tones to really showcase the multitude of little petals. I love the textures captured across the top half of the shot, really conveying what the flowers would feel like to the touch. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

This image of an assortment of flowers stood out as being a little different from other images. I like the lighter tones, with little patches of darker tones to draw the eye to the centres of the flowers. Plenty of interesting details and shapes for the eye to explore. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

A wonderfully detailled capture of this beautiful flower. The shot works well in black and white as you have shown great control of the tones, with overall lighter tones dominating, but these are not too bright. The centre of the flower may be a tad over-sharpened, but the details are superb with sharp focus across the whole depth of the flower. Well done on your top ten placing.

I love the delicacy of the tulip that you have captured here. The high key editing and backlighting brings a translucency to the petals, creating a feeling of gentle calm. To enhance the graphic of the image I may have been tempted try to place the stem exactly centrally, but I suppose doing so would create difference in the amount space at each side of the petals higher up the frame, so that may not work. Beautiful image, well done on your top ten placing.

This image was a late entry to my top ten, but was one I kept coming back to. I love the tones you have created in the black and white conversion, with no extreme highlights or shadows there is a subtle feeling of softness, which suits the subject. Being picky I find the area jusg below the top of the frame a little distracting, with the two identical vertical darker smudges drawing the eye away from the subject, so I think I would have cropped off the top quarter of the image. Still a great image however. Well done on your top ten placing.

This is a stunning example of the type of photo I was hoping to see in this contest, where through stripping the image of colour the shapes and form of the flower are allowed to dominate without any distraction from the colour. The angle of view, shot from level with the flower, allows the stamens to stand out ftom the petals and make a rather dramatic statement. The tones are lovely with no over-processing effects. Your title of the image is very apt, as the the capture is beautiful and the perspective on the petals seems to convey graceful movement. Congratulations on your third place finish.

A contest with so many great entries, with so many diverse photographic styles, this gentle capture of a beautiful springtime fritillaria takes my top spot. I love the delicacy you have managed to capture, with the wide aperture and long lens creating a shallow depth of field to soften all but a small area of the flower. Photographed shooting into the light, we have some lovely bokeh highlights of the frosted dew on the grass, and the little details of frost on the rim of the flower against the light is great. The tones of the monochrome work well, with the flower being the darkest part to stand out as the subject, but not too dark as to distract. Congratulations on your winning image.

A fabulous high-key image of some elegant orchids atop an equally elegant slender vase. Tones are spot on, with subtle use of darker tones in just the right amounts to reveal all the details of the flowers and the form of the vase. Composition works really well, and the arrangement of the orchids nicely fills the top section of the image, with the line of flowers falling in a gentle diagonal across the frame. Congratulations on your second place finish.

These lilies make for a fantastic black and white photo. Set against the darkened backdrop these elegant flowers really stand out to display their dramatic forms. Exposure is just right to reveal reveal little textural details on the petals and allow some light to pass though the front part of the petal. Well done on your top ten placing.