Made from Metal

This is a great image, which has filled the frame with an assortment of nuts and bolts. Your composition is very well done, with the orange bolt on the lower third left intersection, which initially draws the eye. I wonder if the set-up is random "as found" or whether varoius elements have been strategically placed, but it all works very well and offers plenty for the eye to explore. I love the subtle variations in colours across the frame, and the details and textures have been extremely well captured, with everything sharp. The vignette helps frame the image and contain the subject. Fabulous image of a mundane subject, congratulations on your third place finish.

This image was a late entry to my top ten, but one I kept coming back to. A well processed HDR image, giving a lovely feel to the shot. I like the composition, with the weighing scales dominant on the counter top, but we can see plenty of the setting in the background. I like the limited colour palette of rich browns, with some great tones. Good control of the bright light coming in through the window, but with plenty of details revealed in the darker shadow areas. Well done on your top ten placing.

A simple subject, but very well captured. Strong lighting has allowed some interesting shadows on the wall behind, but also highlighted some of the metal spiral steps to add depth to the shot. Well composed, with the main subject over to the right, leaving almost half the image of negative space, filled only by some rich colours on the brickwork. I imagine the colours have maybe been manipulated in processing, but if so, that does not matter, as they contrast nicely and create a great backdrop to the subject, without dominating the image. Everything is well focused, with all verticals true, which adds to the strength of the shot. Congratulations on your second place finish.

I love this creative abstract image. This is such a simple, rather mundane subject, and there would be many who would not give a second glance, let alone capture the structure in a creative photograph. A great photographic eye has recognised the potential for an image, but then a lot of skill has been used to create a fabulous artistic abstract. The narrow aperture has kept everything pin-sharp throughout, and the slow shutter speed turned the background into a deep milky blue, which enables the subject to stand out. Excellent composition and point of view, giving a strong graphic element to the image. The foreground detail of the white lichen on the stone adds interest too, and prevents the image being too sterile. Congratulations on your winning image.

Images such as this can so often be difficult to spot, but you have noticed the strong shadow cast by the attractive lamp, and created an unusual abstract image. The same scene on an overcast day would be nothing, but the harsh sunlight has worked wonders to create a simple but very effective abstract. It would be interesting to see this image in black and white, with the yellow channel lifted so the wall becomes a slightly textured near-white backdrop, which could produce even stronger contrasts and a greater abstract feel. Still a super image, well done on your top ten placing.

Who knew that a rusty piece of metal, a line of bolts and some sunlight could help create such an interesting image?! You have a strong photographic eye to have seen the potential here, as the subject to many would not warrant attention and be totally unphotogenic. The lighting you have captured is obviously key to the strength of the shot, and the gradually increasing length of the shadows add interest and initially draw the attention, to try to decipher what the subject is, and I like that little sense of mystery. Everything looks sharply focused, including some great textures of the rusting metal surface. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

There were a large number of entries into this contest showing varoius types of metal sculpture and artworks. Whilst many were decent record shots, if presenting an image showing someone elses artwork, I am looking for something more than a record shot. Here is a great example of such an image, where it is so much more than a simple snapshot of the sculpture. Great framing, with the hands dominating the scene, but we can see some of the backdrop of London beyond, nicely out of focus, but not rendered an unidentifiable blur. Super lighting has resulted in a good range of tones, which reveals plenty of depth and detail on the subject, and also shows some of the properties of the smooth shiny metal. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

This is a great low key image, where the lighting has picked out the shapes of the hammer and nails by just the right amount - not too bright, not too dark. It can be very challenging taking a still life such as this, as it is often difficult to pre-visualise the outcome, as so much depends on the light, or lack of light, and the effect that has on the subject. Very strong image, well done on your top ten placing.

This image shows such a simple and everyday subject, but by filling the frame you have captured an image which has a great deal of impact. By using a fairly narrow aperture, everything looks in sharp focus from front to back, and there are some lovely tones and colours throughout. There is no obvious focal point, but in an image such as this I do not think that matters, as the eye can explore the whole image and see some different detail each time one looks. Well done on your top ten placing.

I have no definate idea how this image was captured, but your use of light is very effective and has created an image which is very striking. Simplicity is key here, and all we really have is two receeding curves of light, but the pool of light in the middle of the frame gives context to the image, to clearly describe what we are looking at. I am unsure whether the tracks are illuminated and have been pbotographed at night, or whether a bright daytime shot manipulated in post-processing, but it matters not which, as the result is great. A simple abstract, as good as they come. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.