Mud

A strangely beautiful scene showing stranded boats on the mud of a tidal river. I love the lighting and the overcast rather gloomy sky, which creates a fantastic mood. The colour contrasts are great, with the cool blues and greys of the sky and water, contrasting with the warmer hues of the vegetation and mud. Compisition works really well, with the line of water entering the frame on a diagonal, and inviting the eye to follow its line to the horizon. Congratulations on your winning image.

A very different image to most entries in this contest, and a wonderfully creative take on the theme of mud, as we see little clods of muddy soil clinging onto the roots of these fine radishes. Composition works well, and the colour contrast between the red and the green, set off against the soft darkened backdrop works really well. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

A simple scene, but one that wonderfully portrays the subject. The gloopy texture of the mud has been well captured, and despite being just monochrome mud and footprints, there is still plenty to hold the interest, and also to wonder a little as to the wider surroundings beyond the frame. I love the inclusion of the skidded prints, really conveying ths reality of a hike through mud when it can often feel like one step forwards, two steps back. Conversion to black and white works well too, adding to the grim of the scene. Congratulations on your third place finish.

A great abstract image of some gloopy mud, along with a pool of muddy water. What I really like is that we have no idea as to the scale of the image we are viewing. I imagine the mud and water has been captured from pretty close-in, but it could equally be a shot from a drone, looking down on the landscape far below. It is that element of uncertainty that I like, and it adds to the abstract. Colouring and lighting all look natural, with no heavy editing effects. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

This image really captures the energy and dynamism of a joyous tramp through the mud, capturing a person of an age when mud is fun and something to seek out rather than something go actively avoid! Captured at just the right moment before another stamp down into the squelchy mud, creating a scene full of action. I like that the image shows just the legs and feet, as that draws attention down to the feet (and the mud) rather than to the face. Nice little pop of yellow included to brighten the scene. Congratulations on your second place finish.