Health and medicine

I placed this first as it was an image that for obvious reasons kept drawing my attention. Initially I struggled with its content and questioned its voyeuristic nature but the copy that went with the image changed my mind as it had a sense of care and compassion. It's a powerful image tackling death front on and showing care, fear and love in the physical and emotional connection between patient and carer, mother and son. Not the most technically accomplished image in the competition but full of detail and emotion – an image that makes you think "wow" as it tackles such a taboo subject so boldly.

There's a lot that grabs my attention in this image, definitely a plus for an image that's being viewed amongst hundreds of other competing images. This was one that benefited from its explanation. As a UK photographer its interest to me is in the unfamiliar, as I look at a scene I doubt many in the UK would have experienced firsthand. It's not just its unfamiliarity that intrigued me, though – I'm fascinated by images that have lots of detail but still retain a simplicity of message. I enjoyed exploring this image, discovering new elements as I kept viewing, wondering about each of the people present and then coming back to the two key figures in chains. Could have benefited from a bit more finishing in my opinion but still an interesting shot.

A great shot that has a clear message. Without reading the accompanying text I was pretty sure what it was about. I had a friend who suffered with diabetes and as 12-year-olds I watched in awe as he self-injected to keep himself healthy. I suspect the shot is staged, that needle looks nasty but the girl's expression is believable and the image works. One thing I noticed throughout the judging is how some people really lost out if clear explanations weren't included.

An interesting image that is very different from everything else entered in the competition. I'm intrigued by the double exposure, the overlay of the windows and the way the soldier overlays with the window. For a composited image the models have a believability to their expression and position. I like the ghostly feel of the image, the flarey light from the windows and the frailty of the subjects. Much more constructed than the previous images but an interesting story with lots of narrative and an interesting sentiment.

I gave this a commendation as it shows technical ability and timing to get such a shot. I like the helicopter against the blades of the wind turbines and the action between the three people in the shot has a bit of urgency to it. I stopped shot of awarding it higher as it feels like it's just a record of something going on and nothing has been added to give more sense of emergency, of tension, fear and rescue. Maybe I'm being harsh and this is lacking because it's a simulation and not the real event (thankfully) but it feels a tad cold. One thing it does give is a sense of weight, power and size to the helicopter just hanging in mid air on what looks like a very clear calm day.

I kept coming back to this shot and I wasn't sure why. It's not beautifully lit, it's pretty straightforward, almost photobooth-like, and I didn't get the stars and paper background. BUT, it kept drawing me in and that has to be something to celebrate. There's something about the gaze (even with the redeye) of the model / artist, and the formality of the shot and the uniform, that intrigued me. The story added weight to it and I started to understand the paper background was the mount from a picture frame. I think what I liked in the end was the honesty of this image. It's a very direct and open self portrait, it's not hiding behind any effects. It says, "this is me", and I liked that.

A lovely still life that has an almost Japanese feel to it because of the texture of the background / screen. I love the placing of the gloves, instruments and "explosion" that give the image quite a playful feel. There was nothing else like this in the competition so it stood out a mile and as an accomplished image was always going to be somewhere in the top 10. Great playful composition, an interesting treatment and clearly fits the brief of the competition.

A very technical still life that has a clinical, cold, precise, and sterile feel that nicely reflects its subject. Order, precision and cleanliness all come to mind in a very clear image of what is titled "Surgical Instruments". Nice light and a good composition make for a strong image that if anything suffers from being a bit too technical / cold.

There were a few entries from this series that all had a similar look. They were all strong shots, well constructed and cropped and nicely lit. The expression is engaging and the fake blood adds a real tension. I hesitated to put them in the top 10 as they just felt too stylised for a healthcare brief. They'd make amazing book covers for a horror novel, an action thriller or something glamorous and fantasy. Very strong images that didn't feel right for this brief, but that's only my opinion!

I'm drawn to this image as I'm a dog lover and so of course it appeals, with the cute dog and the emotion of the kid against the potential pain of the needle. It's well exposed and all those sorts of things but it just feels a tad too constructed and set up for me. I'd rather see a moment between the owner and animal with the vet in the background. I don't feel the need for the obvious in this image – a subtler version would have been stronger for me. BUT, each to their own, it's a good shot and a lovely dog!

Wow, there were lots of shots of pills and pill cases! I'd say this was the best of those and it's got some technical merit in a macro photography way. Shots like this have to be so special to stand out of the crowd in a competition environment though and that is very, very difficult to do. I like the simple colours, and there is quite a nice composition in a very busy shot, but I think it needs a touch more attention to the quality of light to make it really stand out. Macro photography is a really precise skill, it's not something you'd find me attempting!

Another very powerful and "real" feeling image that perfectly suits B&W. The composition is great, with a lovely movement through the image of all the doctors' eyes and attention so clearly focused on the head surgeon, ending on the pen pointing to and touching the paper in the centre of the image. There's a unity in the clothing / "scrubs" that helps give a feeling of "team" and working together, and there's an intensity to the shot that gives it a real power.

A very gritty image in many ways and very clear in its effect. Again, maybe my fascination with this is based on its unfamiliarity and the rawness it conveys in its association with dentistry. To me it's a shocking image – the dirt under the fingernails, the roughness of the model jaw and the hands holding it all make me feel thankful this isn't my dentist. I'm sure that for this dentist's patients this is scarily real! To be fair we don't have much explanation, just "Local dentist in Shivpuri, India". We don't know what he's doing, why his nails are so dirty or what the context of this shot is but this ambiguity gives it a real power. Again, it shows how important explanation and context can be.

This is a truly terrifying image! The idea of any type of operation on my eyes makes my toes curl so an image like this is always going to have an effect on me and I'm sure many other people as well. If the intention was to shock then mission accomplished! It's like a still from a Hitchcock horror or something like "Hostel". I used to have a reputation for dark and scary images as I love atmosphere and narrative in my images but I think this on pushes it way beyond Dark Dylan!

Titled only "Strong Spirit", I was left guessing as to what this image was about and how it related to the brief "Health and medicine". That said, it's a strong image that I thought deserved to be in the lineup. The central composition is strong. The colour of the man's skin and the splashing water in the snow and ice convey a definite feeling of cold freshness. Maybe the ambiguity enhances its appeal, leaving me wondering what's going on.

I love this shot for its simplicity, its aesthetic and its use of light and colour to convey a message and create a mood in a fairly ambitious image. I love the red lights and the shallow depth of field implying red light district and / or ambulance lights. I love the central composition of the spoon, the liquid it sits in and the way the handle looks like it could fall off the edge of whatever surface it's sitting on.

"Health and medicine related imagery" as a brief was always going to prompt lots of images of pills and medicine bottles etc, but this I thought was a more interesting look at what a medicine could be. Again a very short explanation but I guess it doesn't really need much more as the images says it all. Good composition showing an interesting angle on the person grinding the herbs as well as the herbs uncrushed and being ground.