Inside Greenhouses and Glasshouses
Jonathan C

Inside Greenhouses and Glasshouses

August 2022

This unusual angle is visually so appealing, with so much bark texture to take in - including in the deep shadows of the framing. The branches, walkways and glasshouse frame reaching in all directions look as though they are becoming one! It’s a great example of a carefully-chosen slower shutter speed on a mirrorless camera, demonstrating how sharp these stabilised images can be. A central subject works really well here and gives an impressive sense of scale. Congratulations!

There’s a real serenity in this photograph; I find it a very calming image. The symmetry and the open door showing a hint of what the inside has to offer, makes it an inviting photograph. Above all I think I’m drawn to the beautifully gentle light as it splashes out of the door, down the step and across the right-hand bench. It’s been perfectly exposed with clean whites and a golden light - why wouldn’t you want to go and explore inside?! Congratulations.

Lovely aperture choice here to take in all the detail - and there’s so much of it! It’s a beautiful quality of light streaming in, particularly towards the roof areas, really nicely captured with highlights harnessed well. There’s something about the processing that I find slightly distracting; it may be that by toning down the saturation of that very blue sky, and allowing shadows to naturally sit a bit deeper, the image may find a new level.

I do like the way you’ve framed these much-photographed steps - out of all the entries featuring this staircase, I’ve picked this out because the play between the rusted orange and the blue-green of the steps make it very pleasing to the viewer. There’s also a lovely quality to the light hitting the treads and embellishments; and of course enough beautiful detail in the palm leaves beyond so you know exactly what sort of indoor environment you’re looking at. A clever composition, well executed.

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The framing here couldn’t be more perfect - railings and walkway to lead the eye in, tree trunks to hold back the highlight from too much distracting brightness, and of course the fabulous sun rays directing us towards the subject. With the figure captured right between those two shafts of light on the floor, mid-stride, it’s a great decisive-moment example. The lushness, humidity and mist of a glasshouse environment depicted in a skilfully managed way earns this a well-deserved Top 10.

Expert
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This is such a thoughtful image on many levels. Harnessing the bright highlights by controlling the exposure, throwing the palm trunks into silhouette as a frame for the sun's rays, makes this a breathtaking capture. It's almost like the parting of a theatre curtain. The use of the mist adds to the atmosphere and the hints of green lushness from the leaves remind us why this environment is so perfect for these plants. The juxtaposition between the angle of the glasshouse frame, and the right-hand sunbeam (along with the rays resembling a palm crown) helps to lead the viewer on a playful dance around all the details as you look at this photograph. Certainly not a grab image but one I keep coming back to look at. It has skill and care behind it, and that's why it's earned a first place - well done!

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I think this is wonderful framing - all of the indication of greenhouse conditions, the lushness of the plants shown in the vibrancy of colours. It’s a great spot to have found a bunch of grapes so well in view amongst all the condensation. The viewer can instantly pick out the fact that this vine is glasshouse-grown, rather than an outdoor vineyard. A perfect example of photographing a plant detail while fulfilling the brief, well done.

A clever play with reflections, and two worlds colliding - the natural and the man-made. I like the framing too, with the diagonal that cuts across the centre, the arches below it, and the parallelogram through the top half canopy of the trees. Nicely exposed and well thought-out - I always enjoy a well-observed reflection, and it’s an enjoyable puzzle for the viewer’s eye. A great way to meet the brief of ‘Inside greenhouses…’ while giving the structure a sense of place. Congratulations.

I think what I’m especially drawn to here is that shadow from the very tip of the roof’s dome! Beautifully observed and really giving an epic sense of scale and heat with just these few details. I appreciate the palm leaves and roof circles converging centrally. A great composition, well spotted!

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I enjoyed this image as a communication of what green spaces can do for us - the calm quality of the subject’s pose, set amongst the lushness of the leaves, is a great depiction. I don’t even mind the bottle of water as it speaks of the conditions that both humans and plants need to survive! The backlighting around his hair seems to give another spiritual quality. Though I would have liked to see a little more of the surroundings, this is well observed and a nicely isolated subject with the lens and aperture choices.

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Entry 13696151
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I absolutely love this dancing lady, there's something very joyful about it - and at the same time, reminiscent of Close Encounters of the Third Kind! She’s so well isolated against the water’s light that you barely notice the crowds beyond. A perfect candidate for the monochrome treatment (which I’m guessing helped to remove much of the distraction of crowds) - the graphic shapes of the glasshouse roof with the highlighted waterfall, beams and shadows like a vortex against the silhouette. There's so much energy in this capture - a really dynamic image that's been handled very capably in post-processing - well done!

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832 Images entered

Meet the expert judge

A great example of paying attention to the framing - verticals, horizontals and the apex of the roof all kept in perfect alignment! Centring the door as the subject here really works because there’s a lot counterbalancing it - the planting reaching over from the left; the play of light and shadows across the ground; and the offset door beyond. Even that palm frond above the door frame is playing ball, stretching in an arc to emphasize the shape of the apex! Colours and exposure are spot on - a very professionally crafted image.

What a captivating image of these much-photographed gardens. Amongst many pictures of the place, this particular photograph stands out for giving the gardens a sense of place and of scale, with the city beyond - showing the microcosm of the glasshouse environment, against the gentle sunset colours. Juxtaposing green planting alongside the steel structures of walkways and skyscrapers introduces thoughts of man's impact on our environment. The evening lighting coming on gives additional interest, with the warm glow matching the colours of an evening sky. The composition and exposure control are to be applauded here; though in post-processing think there's room to deepen the shadows and lift the mid-tones a little, particularly for keeping the blues in the sky nice and clean. It's a carefully crafted image and for these reasons, it's a well-deserved placing.

344 Photographers

Brief

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Greenhouses have a history dating back hundreds of years, and have enabled the production of food that would otherwise not have been possible in that place, or at that time of year. They came into their own during the Victorian era, and range from small cold frames for growing vegetables, through the greenhouses seen in many back gardens, to the vast palm houses that were constructed in many public gardens and parks. Nowadays they also include impressive geodesic domes such as the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, and the Climatron at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St Louis.

24,651 Ratings

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I really like the sweeping view of this, it feels really peaceful and I do like the shadows of the heads of tulips on the right-hand side. There's lots to enjoy side-to-side and front-to-back, with the twin benches and door all leading your eye to wonder what lies beyond! However, it would make a big difference to the completeness and professionalism of the image to just take care to remove the rucksack and tripod out of the way once you've checked your viewfinder. A small change that has a big impact!

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This is a beautifully framed photo - the chosen aperture has allowed bags of interest in the planting and through to the environment beyond. I'm enjoying the sense of scale in the conservatory structure, with the architecture of the roof and beams, and the lovely shadows it's creating on the right-hand wall. I think the image has a slightly fantasy feel and may benefit from a lighter touch on the processing - I'd be tempted to try it with the highlights less constrained, and the blacks sitting a bit deeper into shadow. I think it could really come to life!

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I wanted to mention this because I really love the concept here, it's exactly the sort of minute detail that I love to notice and capture. The sunrise colours set it off beautifully. It would be really worth playing a bit more with this style of photo the next time conditions allow - a suitable lens and a steady tripod to capture the frost details with a more crisp focus; and perhaps a little more of the greenhouse window frame to give the viewer a sense of place and help to 'read' the image. I look forward to seeing more!

I wanted to mention this one simply because I like it very much! It has a dynamic feel to it, not just in the composition - your eye drawn immediately to the central shoot - but the moment in time, never to be repeated, that it depicts. I’m not sure on the settings here but the pots on the right are throwing highlights that are slightly distracting / have a double-vision feel in the fall-off of focus, and could possibly be held back with a marginally less wide aperture. A really well-spotted and nicely framed image, well done!

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I'm letting this one sneak in because the viewer has an open door to see into the greenhouse - and the contest is clearly looking for views of the 'Inside' of these spaces! It would be lovely to see more of the interior details and growing conditions - I do like the way the sun is hitting the roof panes, and wonder what sort of image could have been made using that light inside, amongst the plants?...

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What a super depiction of leaf varieties, and the play on light and shadow serving to make them stand out. It’s a really nice choice of framing with the hint of glasshouse roof beyond; I appreciate the fact that there’s been no attempt to over-saturate the sky, and the colours look very natural. Well spotted and a great capture!

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