In the garden shed

Deciding the winning image in this contest was not easy, but this one claims top spot in the end. What I really like here is the subject choice, which shows a slightly surreal group of characters gathered at the end of the shed. The composition is great, with the scarecrows centrally placed and a number of features throughout the image acting as "leading lines" to the end of the shed. Love the colouring too - desaturated grey/brown of the wood and brickwork, and just a hint of colour on the scarecrow's clothing. Being picky, I may have been tempted to desaturate the blue plastic bag a little more, but that is a minor point. A well taken, well processed image, with a welcome hint of humour. Congratulations on your winning image.

What I really like here is how through the use of HDR you have been able to bring a light and airy feel to this fabulous wide angle shot. Also as a result of the HDR processing, we can see the details equally well inside the shed and outside in the garden. The colour saturation has not been over-done, as can sometimes be the temptation with HDR. Great work, well done.

You have taken good advantage of the natural light falling onto these pots in a dark shed. You have appropriately selected your aperture for a reasonably shallow depth of field, which allows the nearest and farthest pots to be nicely out of focus, but not so blur as to be a distraction. I really like the way you have captured the contrasting terracottas and blues too. Being picky, I may have desaturated the small area of bright blue and yellowy colour at the bottom right of the shot, as once noticed, it tends to draw the eye, but that is only a small point. Well done on your top three placing.

This is a great black & white image, with appropriate use of HDR which allows us to see the details in the dark corners and under he shelves, which would otherwise be hidden in shadow. Nicely composed, with the chair as a separate focal point standing apart from the busy shelves. Good control of the lighting too. Lovely image, well done on your second placing.

The selection of a wide aperture has picked out these grand keys hanging in the shed, and initially draws the eye, before looking over the other gardening tools neatly stored in the shed, which are intentionally out of focus, but still recognisable. Great use of matte finish processing, and addition of the vignette all contribute to the feel of this shot. Great work, well done.

This is a very clever image which has captured the light streaming from the building wonderfully. It is unclear how much of the effect was achieved in processing, but even if it is primarily the result of processing, it is still a striking image. Wise decision to convert to black and white, and I am sure the shot is more successful because of that. Great image, well done.

One of several HDR images which have made my top ten, but as with the others, this technique works well with this particular subject, as it allows us to see texture and details in the dark shadowy places in the shed. I like the subtle colouring you have achieved, giving enough differentiation between objects, but not oversaturated. I also like the glimpse of the garden we can see out of the window. Well done.

This image was very different to a lot of the entries, which tended to show very busy, cluttered environments. The simplicity of the composition allowed this image to stand out. Well considered set-up of the objects gives a quite minimal feel to the shot, and the predominance of a single colour (in different shades) helps that effect too. Great work, well done.

This is a great image of a simple, natural scene. The weather looks to be overcast, which has worked well here, as the lighting is soft and there are no harsh shadows and highlights. I like the limited colour palette, and the touch of greenery contrasting with the purply reds and terracottas. Well captured image, congratulations on your top ten finish.

This was a late addition to my top ten, and an image which kept drawing me back. I like the shapes and the composition - whilst the objects were presumably as you found them, as the photographer you still needed to decide what to put in and what to leave out of the frame. I admit to having no real knowledge of the use of infrared, so am unsure if this has added anything to the image which could not have been achieved with a black & white conversion and adjusting shadows & highlights, but I do like the look and "feel of the image. Being fussy, I think I would not have coloured the flowers but left them as they appeared in the infrared, but as the colouring is not too saturated it does not overpower. Lovely image, well done.