Inspired by Halloween

A great find, captured in a way that conveys a spooky sense of fear. The conversion to black and white has been done really well, with a gritty feel overall. The eyes are immediately drawn to the creepy character, perfectly photographed to capture the mood of Halloween. Well done on your top ten placing.

A fabulous portrait, drawing the viewer with the strong gaze. Lighting is superb, retaining good highlights and shadows whilst revealing a mass of details, especially in the hair. Colouring overall is great, with the backdrop nicely complementing the model, textured just enough to look interesting without overwhelming. Congratulations on your third place finish.

I love the captivating gaze of this rather unusual portrait. The close-in crop really draws us in to make it a shot that cannot be ignored. Conversion to black and white was no doubt a good choice, as whilst the actual colours of the makeup are not known, had it contained bright colour there was risk it could draw attention from the eyes. Congratulations on your second place finish.

Gosh, this is scary! Use of a relatively wide aperture has captured the subject with a very shallow depth of field, meaning only a tiny part is in focus. The rest of the subject is visible just enough to just be able to make out the creepy form, enough to know we should be very scared. The "eyes" of the alien-like face and the bony hand reaching towards the huddled figure below are the stuff of nightmares. The low contrast black and white suits the subject too and adds to the atmosphere. Congratulations on your winning image.