Interiors

Large domes are very difficult to captures effectively, but I think this shot has done it very well. The flowing lines of the ceiling become such a strong graphic element of this shot, demonstrating to me that this photographers has a great "eye" for a photograph. It's the ability to see something in a scene that the majority of us would walk past without noticing, and also knowing how to capture it in a way that amplifies that beauty. Well done.

The combination of exposure and timing makes this shot my very close number two. It's a great abstract, which has captured very subtle tones - the more you look at this image the more you see, which for me is the sign of a great shot! The shapes are all rather dreamy and suggestive, but you can also feel the movement of the people walking on the glass, and you can see the very soft detail in the surface and the composition is exceptional.

For me this image does it all and its composition is spot-on. The photographer has positioned themselves in the perfect spot, where the lines of the several layers converge perfectly and sweep out over the image. The photograph was obviously taken on an overcast day, allowing the soft light to pick out the high lights of the vertical surfaces, whilst still allowing the bounced and artificial light to gently wash over the shadowed areas. The people in this image give a wonderful sense of scale and purpose to the building whilst humorously offsetting the rigidity and conformity of the design.

I love the the engagement this picture has with the viewer - instantly you are drawn towards "the light at the end of the tunnel". These large swirling shadows in the foreground are exaggerated by the low viewpoint the photographer has taken the image from, making you feel quite small and vulnerable in this constricted, fearful environment. Also the complimentary use of blue and yellow combined with the vignetting is used to great effect - I keep wanting to look over my shoulder!

It's a pretty spectacular view! Again, the photographer has used a person to give a sense of the vastness and scale of this building, which could so easily be lost. The composition is carefully considered and the use of light and dark areas help to bring your eye in to the centre of the shot. I feel a little post-production to correct the verticals in this image would really have helped it lift the final finish. But the use of light and shadows really helps to balance the shot.

I love the voyeuristic nature of this image, from the high-vis jacket left hanging from the ceiling to the fishing net in with the pipe cleaners (?!), and the abundance of brushes which wait expectantly beside the boilers. It's great the way the photographer has employed two light sources, the open door to the right and the window to the left, giving that beautiful cross lighting and shadows. And yet keeping those areas of darkness in the foreground. The rhythm and the chaos surrounding it - genius!

The word 'dynamic' is often over used, but for this shot I think it is the perfect adjective! The way the light on the underside of the spiral staircase gently moves from pure black to a soft dark grey draws your eye in perfectly in an hypnotic manner to the centre of this image. It reminds me of a Bridget Riley drawing with the perception-altering spiral confusing the viewer as it appears to leap out of the page as much as it draws you in!

The London underground is one of the most photographed subjects around, but I love the vibrance in this image from the 'I'm leaning on the wall' angle. And the play on colours across the image to the movement of the train pulling in (or out) and the cropping of the sign on the left. When allowing movement in a subject, the hardest thing is to judge it just right - too much and the context is lost, too little and it looks like a mistake. But the photographer here has it nailed! And again, choosing your moment, the lack of people here means your attention is drawn exactly where the photographer wants you to look.

The photographer has obviously taken much consideration in producing this wonderful, contemplative image. From the low point of view to usage of wonderfully soft ambient light. There's a beautiful glow to the dog's hair, created by the positioning of the window and choice of positioning of the camera. This gives a wonderful separation of the blacks in the dog's hair to the blacks in the background. And although the image has been tweaked in post-production, the way the direct light falls on the dog just highlights the whites enough to create the separation from the warm hues of the worn rug and the soft stone of the walls. A beautifully seductive image and I love the way I find myself waiting for the dog to glance up!

The balance in this composition is wonderful! They're almost like brush strokes. I like the fact the photographer has under-saturated the image. Very often, especially with warm reflective services like wood, the "warmth" can be very over-powering but the hues here are understated and subtle. The view creates a wonderful juxtapositioning of the wood, which seems to flow both vertically and horizontally, making a gentle flowing landscape, from which I'm sure is a stunning building. Carefully composed and obviously not cropped from the original image.

I don't think I can recall the last time I saw Canary Wharf Station this quiet! There's an eeriness to this shot, captured not only by the lack of people in it, but also by the fact that the escalators are turned off. Even at 1/25s exposure, you'd normally expect a little blur there. Effective black and white digital photography is also very difficult to produce and often is not quite as seductive as black and white film, but I think here the contrast and tones in the greys/blacks have an amazing film-like quality. And the exposure is spot-on in a very demanding situation.

Interiors often tell a story and this is a lifetime in a box! Often when looking for viewpoints in a room, the doorway can suggest the most natural perspective. Interior photography crosses the boundaries of architectural and documentary photography, and this image is obviously not about the architecture, but about the story held within. The beauty in this image comes from the clues. It's a social room, chairs to the side, arranged for conversation and social intercourse; football trophies and flags from years of dedication. The space is decorated by passion and emotion, yet it sits quietly empty. It is history: the crowning glories of the past from trophies, which commemorate past achievements to cut hair on the floor, which was probably until recently held in gelled perfection - all hint towards a lifetime. This is reinforced by the bygone furniture and ageing photos on the wall, and the self-reflection held by the mirror.

This is my winning shot! The photographer has captured the gracefulness of these palm-like supports, with a subtlety of exposure in a demanding situation. Anyone who has been faced with white walls and sky will know! The use of a tripod whilst taking this shot has obviously helped in achieving great composition and also enabled a longer exposure, which gives the sense of movement in the people and has helped get maximum death of field throughout the shot. For me, what makes this the winning shot is not just the final result, but also the purposefulness with which this was taken. It shows that the photographer had a clear vision in what he or she was trying to achieve and has taken the time to deliver that vision.

I had to really question what it was about this image I loved, but love it I do! There are definitely three elements to consider. Firstly, the softness of the whites and the fluidity of the curves in the top of the image. This is contrasted by the harsh reality of the black, sombre straight lines towards the bottom and the figures which combine the two. Try holding your finger over the figures in the picture and the scale and drama of the shot is instantly lost. The elements of the shot, rather than combining, clash.

In short, the people make this shot, the purpose of the stairs and the window are all for the benefit of.... people.

The light is beautifully soft and the reflection on the left gives some natural vignetting to the shot, which keeps the attention to the centre of the image.

It may have been an opportune shot, but it takes a keen eye to see it in time and capture it!

Interior shots are really about understanding how a building plays with and creates the light within. This shot captures just that, the very low sun pouring in through this enormous window and creating these stunning shadows, making the actual people seem almost insignificant. The timing of this shot was again curtail as when the sun is this low, it's actually moving across the sky pretty quickly and the moment can be lost before you know it. Exposing for the highlights gives this great contrast to the shot and creates a picture that would be almost lost to the naked eye - well spotted and expertly captured!

I love to play around with the white balance when taking photos and this image captures for me the beauty in this aspect of photography. It comes with experience, but understanding how the camera sees light can add a great unexpected element to your photos. The lights here are fluorescent, which to those of you in the know, produce a green light. It's beautifully soft and gradual and, as shown here, creates a sublime mood that the eye just does not capture.

I love the painterly qualities of this image, as some of the great artists of this era employed candle light to work by. This image also solely uses the extravagant candelabras to light this fantastic room set. Exposing for the highlights gives these gentle pools of warm light and gives a real authenticity to this room, which is really hard to imagine. And I love the returning gaze of the full-length portrait staring back at you. I just felt, as probably the photographer felt, it was a little beyond the limits for a hand-held shot and would have benefitted from a lower ISO and longer exposure, but nevertheless it's a really strong contender.

I'm a Mondrian fan, so I have to include this image. It is far removed from the original photograph, but we are all now digital artists, aren't we? It may not be considered by some a photograph anymore, but the graphic nature of this image is striking. And for me the solid colours, adapted in post-production, help to strengthen the gentler elements captured by the original photograph, by which I mean the way the light falls across the stair rails.

This is a beautifully balanced shot. Everywhere you look there is a mirror or rhythm to this photo. From the repetitive windows, the steel pillars, the pools of light on the floor from the broken windows to the circular machine, being "reflected" by the circular concrete cast on the floor and even the puddle, looking back at the collapsed ceiling. And all this visual symmetry reinforced by the building in the background, a modernist office block towering over the disused factory. This is a well considered architectural shot.

You have to admit that this shot is visually striking- the framing of this advertising totem by the ceiling recess. It just goes to show how difficult a tripod can make things - and there is really a completely separate art to setting the tripod up. This shot is 99.9% there, but for me the totem just isn't quite centred, and it is exaggerated by the background. It is nicely constructed shot, however, and you should be very proud of such a strong entry.

Highly commended. I think the way the viewpoint on this image is portrayed has made a really exciting shot - it blends the elements of the organ to its home within the building and marries them together in a harmonious way. The symmetry is essential, and the reinforcement of the angular lines makes for a very well composed image, which combined with a softness and subtlety to the exposure of the building highlights the "metallicness" of the pipes. A strong angular contender.