Grungy Back Streets

I liked this image from when I first saw it. For me though it is the young woman to the left that tells the story. She is looking at the viewer whereas the young man is walking away and not eliciting (from me) any emotional response. The woman appears reasonably well dressed showing us she has still some pride but her face tells us something of her daily struggles living in this place but really wanting to escape; to become the person she knows she can be. The shallow depth of field works well with this image since wa can see the grunginess of the street without it overwhelming what for me is the main storage. The only thing I would alter is just to crop the right hand side a bit to avoid the 'eye snag' of part of the person. A really powerful image. Congratulations on gaining first place.

The streets behind railway stations are so often grungy like this one. There must be something about stations! I presume this man and his son are searching through the rubbish for items of any value they can sell or re-use. This image says as much about social deprivation as it does about the neglect that results in such streets becoming grungy. Congratulations on gaining a top ten place.

Grungy back streets often look worse at night than they do in the day so well done for venturing out late at night. I liked the low view point which picked out some reflections. The lone figure provides a good sense of scale but also prompts the viewer to imagine why he is walking down such a street at that time of night. An atmospheric image that would look well colour graded. Congratulations on gaining a top ten place.

Perhaps not as grungy as some of Manchester's back streets, your image stills conveys something of the nature of these streets. The almost black and white of the modern building at the end of the street and of the sky make for a creative composition and provide a good contrast to the backs of the older buildings that line this street. A good use of leading lines too. Congratulations on trying something different and on gaining a top ten place.

An atmospheric black and white image that lends itself well to the subject matter. As well as the usual bins and debris found in such streets, the sunken and potholed cobbles further add to the sense of neglect. Congratulations on gaining a top ten place.

This is probably one that the Melbourne tourist board won't thank you for but nevertheless it's a very nice black and white with good tonal qualities. Your position and the high walls give this a real feel of being trapped but with enough light to feel that there is a little bit of hope. I'm not sure I'd want to park my car there! Congratulations on gaining a deserved second place.

The bright colours in parts of the image cannot disguise the fact that this is a grungy street, perhaps in the poorer part of town. The colour does provide a sense of hope which might not have been as discernible in a black and white image. I think I might have been inclined crop out the woman on the right as she doesn't really contribute to the image. Congratulations on gaining a top ten place.

There were unsurprisingly a few images of Leake Street. I chose your image because you avoided showing too much detail of the graffiti. I felt the graffiti in other images of Leake Street actually made it look less grungy. However you have shown us grunge, graffiti and a bit of the tunnel. I liked your use of leading lines.I think that some dodging and burning, especially in the highlights, would make this an even better image. Congratulations on gaining a top ten place.

I liked this image because it is another one with a story to tell. In this case one individuals attempt to stop this street becoming even more grungier. His expression shows that this is a battle he can never win but nevertheless it's his job. Most grungy streets tend to look as though they have been forgotten about but at least this one has not. I liked the way you have prevented the impressive graffiti from becoming too dominant. Congratulations on gaining third place.

A good example of a grungy city back street. More often than not they are, as here, the places where rubbish bins reside. Despite these rubbish soon accumulates. Surprisingly not much graffiti so maybe too well used. A nice image with the overhead building in the foreground contributing to the slightly oppressive feel that such streets often have. However you have successfully balanced the exposure between the lighter and darker parts of the street. Good use of leading lines. Congratulations on gaining a top ten place.