Mad About Mono

A resoundingly popular image, we all loved the ingenuity behind this still life and appreciated how long it must have taken to set up. The separation of the tones and angle of the light are just right to retain texture and depth, and to be able to differentiate between the 'petals' as they spread out towards the edges of the frame.

An ingeniously observed scene, where the harsh light and high contrast have resulted in the wires appearing like Japanese characters. We like how the verticals have been kept perfectly straight, as it's this sort of attention to detail that lifts an image out of the ordinary.

We see a lot of minimal black & white long-exposure images, but this one is particularly well executed. The composition is spot on, with the wave breakers fading out to nothing. There is just enough detail and contrast in the foreground breakers, too. Nicely done.

A wonderful moment captured. You can feel the sheer power of the elephant's presence as it takes a much-needed dust bath. The portrait format is the right choice in terms of composition, and the detail captured in the dust is perfect. The only thing we'd like to see is a little more contrast.

Iceland must appear in most landscape photographers' top five destinations, and this spectacular panorama demonstrates why. There is interest across the whole frame, and composing so that the mounds in the foreground echo the shapes of the mountain beyond is a clever device.