Let it glow!

My review of this image is similar to the one I've written for the image of people playing in snow, but I think it's worth repeating as it is an issue that has cropped up in so many of the submissions to this contest. The photographer has chosen a foreground subject as a counter-point to the blurred background with its bokeh highlights. The foreground subject however is difficult to identify, and in itself is not visually appealing or interesting. It's also badly lit and out of focus. The best use of 'bokeh as background interest' is when the foreground subject itself also warrants the image being taken, and when attention is taken to ensure that the foreground subject is shown well.

I liked this shot when first seeing it, and would have loved to give it a commendation. The idea is a good one, and in this case the photographer has done a good job of restricting our view to just raindrops and bokeh-effect lights. The shot is let-down by the lack of sharpness of the raindrops. That was always going to happen at 1/10th of a second unless the camera was resting on a tripod or something else fixed. A large proportion of shots submitted to the contests suffered from a similar problem. When the photographer's intention is to set a subject against a heavily blurred background, it is critical that the subject itself is as sharp as possible.

I found myself thinking of Masterchef when looking at this image. When the contestants plate up their creations, each element of the dish carefully and deliberately occupying a different part of the plate. Here it's as if the photographer has had the opportunity to move the various component parts of the image around, to get the composition just right. I've never seen bokeh circles so large, and they add so much to this shot, without overpowering the in-focus blades of grass, which are rightly the centre of attention. The wonderful arc of smaller bokeh circles, taking off into the sky, add some much-needed height to the image. Altogether this makes for an interesting and skilfully constructed shot.

I really laughed at this shot, and would have loved to give it an award just for that. It looks like the photographer's life, or at least their UV filter, is in imminent danger! Sadly the eyes of the bird are not very in-focus, and the image is a little dark, which mutes the wonderful colour of the bird's eyes. I think the shot would also have benefited from being rotated slightly so that the bird is vertical, and then a better crop - either one that puts the bird centre-stage, or the opposite, with a position at the side of the image.

The colouring is what first strikes you, and I think it works really well with this subject, giving it a dreamy, timeless feel. Drops of water are a classic bokeh subject. The sharp, in-focus droplets mix well with the progressively more out-of-focus droplets in the foreground, and are what lift this from a simple shot of grass to something much more beautiful. The background of this shot could so easily have been a distraction, but as it there is just the right amount of background interest in the form of the larger bokeh circles that are just about visible.

I've been quite mesmerised by this picture, with its dark, quiet evocation of winter. There's a serenity and simplicity to it that make it a pleasure to look at, and it's a lovely illustration of how the out of focus parts of an image can combine with the sharp parts to make a perfect whole. It's neatly composed within the square crop, and the photographer has done a good job of gently fading out the subject around the edges - enough to retain the focus within the centre of the image without it being too obvious what's been done. Well done.

This is a wonderful shot that does a very good job of convincing us that it was taken in the late 1800s. It strongly reminds me of the American Civil War photography of Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner et al, and in my mind there could easily be a bloated, fallen soldier lying in the dirt. The lack of any real sharpness in the shot makes the vintage colour treatment more believable, as if it really had been a 5-minute exposure taken on a wooden tripod on unstable ground. The bokeh effect in the top left of the image I find fascinating, and generally the shallow depth of field in the shot helps turn a relatively mundane subject into something of real interest. I think it's a really great shot, and displays a lot of artistic vision.

I really like this shot - a fabulous subject for shooting in this out-of-focus way, great colours, patterns and lots of fun. The photographer has made sure to get the required symmetry in the subject, without which the strength of the composition would have been compromised. My one complaint about the shot is that the top right and top left corners weren't sorted out before submission. The stripes of pink in those corners are a terrible distraction, and take one's eyes away from the centre of the shot. I'd have tried a tighter crop, or failing that looked at doing some cloning work to replace them with some blue bokeh circles.

I love this. It reminded me of the huge slabs of crystal you see when you visit the natural history museum, shifting from one colour to another and sparkling under the lights. The effect of the bokeh here is really interesting, with the mixture of full and semi-circles, which I haven't seen before. The expanse of out-of-focus blue in the bottom left corner of the image proves the perfect showcase for these bokeh circles, and adds to the strong composition, which I can't fault. An excellent example of beauty that is easy to miss in an everyday situation - ice on a car windscreen. The image is a little over-sharpened, which stopped it from achieving a higher position in my Top 10.

What's being attempted here is good in its conception - some sharp foreground detail, with blurred figures in motion behind. The execution needs some work though. With the foreground subject, it's essential that this is sharp, which it isn't here. Shooting at 1/30th of a second could be the problem. Popping the ISO up a little higher and opening the aperture a little wider would have eliminated any chance of camera shake. A wider aperture may have made the background subjects too blurry, but stepping back a little from the branch and refocusing would fix that. It's also important that the foreground subject justifies its inclusion - by framing the subjects, or because it is attractive or of interest. The branches here don't really achieve any of these, so I'd have been tempted to leave them out. Attention also needs to be paid to what is sometimes called the 'balance' of the shot. In this case all the action is on the left of the shot, and so it feels weighted to the left side, with nothing much happening on the right. Finally, and a common theme for my reviewing of this contest, the image has had too much sharpening applied. When sharpening an image it must be done whilst looking at the image at 100% size. When you see a mottled patterning appear in the image that looks like cells growing in a petri dish, you've gone too far!

A fantastic portrait, and only narrowly missing my Top 10. How great to be able to reach adulthood and be able to look back on your childhood with pictures of this sort of quality. Lucky lad. The look of carefree confidence, the beautiful backlight, the drops of water on his skin that tempt us to construct a narrative. The last swim of a Summer's day? (read the image info to find out) The bokeh in the background adds interest to the shot, and does a nice job of filling out the left of the shot. I'd prefer to see this shot without the bag over the shoulder, which would still be within reach of someone with good Photoshop skills.

The bokeh effect in this image makes the whole scene sparkle, and it's difficult to imagine a more bright and uplifting winter's day. Everything works here - the subject itself was an excellent find, but then it's been executed brilliantly. Fabulous composition; nice sharp focus cutting through the moss; great use of the bokeh effect, and a nice bright exposure that makes the image sing. I might be tempted to crop a little off the right hand side, where there is shade and less of the bokeh, or alternatively brighten slightly the top right corner of the image.

We had a lot of Christmas-themed bokeh shots submitted to this contest, and this was my favourite by some way. Most of the Christmas images I've looked through involve a subject of dubious interest or visual appeal plonked in front of a Christmas tree at some distance. Said subject is often poorly lit with yellow light, not quite sharp, and is very much playing second fiddle to the glorious bokeh Christmas lights behind it. What I loved about this shot is that the snowman is centre-stage, a fun and aesthetically pleasing little figure, and crucially does not appear to be completely distinct from the background. There's a blending of the foreground and background that makes the shot whole, and the blue and red colours, but with a slightly retro treatment, give it a really nice feel. The square crop and central position of the figure are spot on.