Mundane

This is the ultimate in mundane! It is so mundane, but for some reason I cannot stop looking at it. It reminds me of some of those photographs you see in the news that have just sold for several million pounds! The central composition works well, and you have done well to capture the top of the railing with the sea behind, rather than breaking the horizon. The overcast sky and drab colour palette complete the scene. Congratulations on your winning image.

A brave decision to let the world into the confines of your garage, to reveal the secrets and gems usually hidden away from prying eyes. Although looking fully functional, the orderliness and tidiness somehow add to the sense of the mundane, and the contents are certainly not amongst the most exciting of photographic subjects, which is what makes it such a great entry for this contest. Lighting has been well handled, as the view to the well-tended garden outside has not become too bright. We also get a good silhouetted view of the hanging undies! Super shot, well done on your top ten placing.

Such an ordinary scene, of a commercial bin in a courtyard in the backstreets. Your image makes this humble bin the star of the show, and by standing free of any other buildings or objects, somehow adds to the mundanity. I like the way the image has been processed, with darker tones dominating, but not being over-dark. This allows little details to pop out of the image, such as the yellow lid, the bright foliage on the tree, and the attractive lamp on the wall. The little golden triangle of light nicely points the way into the frame. Well done on your top ten placing.

The subject here is mundane, looking to be showing varying metal access ladders and platforms on some type of industrial structure. The lighting however, with the resulting shadows cast across the image, show that the capturing the mundane can produce an interesting result. The image holds the eye for a good while, as it tries to decipher and connect the shadows to the structures. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

This is brilliant! Lino is generally not considered the most exciting or exotic of products, and capturing dozens of rolls of the stuff, all lined up in size order, makes this image all the more appealing. Everything about it shouts mundane, even the name of the store, not pretending to be anything other than what it is. What I also love is the chap peering out of the shop over his glasses, no doubt doing a double-take to confirm that there really is someone out in the street taking photos of his lino shop!! The wet paving also adds some lovely highlights and reflections. Congratulations on your second place finish.

This was a late entry into my top ten, but the more I look the more I like it. There is a general confusion about the scene, with numerous lines going in varying directions, but I quite like that, and it adds to the appeal. A great observation of the lines of compressed snow from the vehicle tracks that often remain long after the rest of the snow has cleared, it creates some lovely patterns and textures. I like your capture of the lighting too, with the slight gleam on the surfaces that lifts the image. Congratulations on your third place finish.

Thankfully in the UK, this is no longer a commonplace scene, as the children have returned to the playgrounds, hopefully never to be banished again. By shooting into the sunlight, you have captured some interesting and striking shadows of the trees and the swings, which make for a great subject. The desolation of the playground adds to the feel of the mundane. The green sunglare spot is a little distracting and could maybe have been made less noticible if desaturated, but that is not a big issue. Well done on your top ten placing.

This is a great image capturing the food take-away van, parked up on what looks to be the outskirts of town. Captured in the early evening, we get a good combination of fading natural light and the artificial lighting from the bollard and the food van itself. I cannot know if you took this shot with the aim of capturing the mundane, but if you did, you got it right. A large part of the frame is taken up by uninteresting road, grass verges and a dull junction, and the relative small size of the take-away seems to add to the sense of mundane. However the brightly lit stall ensures it stands out as the focal point, and the brighter colours draw the eye there too, so it does not become lost in its surroundings. Great work, well done on your top ten placing