National dress

Executed with explicitly beautiful technique and a very tight square composition, I love this shot. The tight focus on the subject with the focus dropping away quickly adds to the composition around the subject matter. Add in the green detail, the sharpness of the focus on the eyes, mouth and a little highlight to the right of the hair makes this image of a geisha walking down the street a standout for me. A very aesthetic and simple portrait but one which beautifully captures the brief.

What works for me in this image is the angle of attack on these colourful Nepalese dancers. The slightly elevated position both allows a major contrast between the green background and the bright costume, but also gives the photographer an opportunity to display a story between these three women with a strong composition. As this image was taken in the UK, but portrays dancers before a demonstration of national identity, it also has some mystery. Certainly deserving of a place in the top ten.

This much wider interpretation of the national dress brief – represented only as an element within this image – works for me . The composition only adds to the story and is a delicate balance of light and shade. It is unlikely the photographer shot this with the intention of entering it in the national dress contest, but that is what is always interesting about capturing imagery. It may have a secondary or an unintended purpose, but in this instance it was recognised and rewarded.

This is not intentionally looking contrived or set up, but a natural image of a child with an astonishing outfit, supplemented with a great hat and necklace. This unusual portrait caught my eye – I think it's a brave choice to put a picture in which has a story element which we are unable to interpret correctly and leaves a little on the table for the viewer to imagine. It's nicely composed and the two white vehicles in the background add a little sense of mystery.

In this image, the clothes and the way they are worn are extremely natural, and this fulfils the brief perfectly. This isn't a flashy contrived show for tourists, it is an in-depth portrait of an individual in an outfit, and the story and environment all work together. There is a really lovely lighting treatment, and post-production of the RAW image retains all the details on the whites. This image definitely had to be in my top 10 – a lovely photograph.

Reminding me of the sand tunnels of Jordan, I like the abstract, almost landscape feel to this picture. There's a clever use of the colour treatment to give the floor a cool blue wash that protects the detail, both in shadow and the highlight of the colourful fabric. Alone, this might not work, but set in such a lovely composition and with a real sense of being immersed in this group of meandering monks, it's a great shot for me. Well done.

In many ways I should be pouring much love and praise over this image, and although I think it's been brilliantly executed and processed out to reveal all the fine detail. I cannot remove myself from the thoughts that I have seen this too many times, almost an anthropological study from the middle of the 19th century. It lacks empathy and engagement, and if the tee shirt is anything to go by this mode has been cooked in front of the lens just a few too many times.

Beautiful, comic and crisp, this is an amusing interpretation of the way to show the subject matter. I was particularly taken by the accuracy of capture and the angularity within this picture giving it almost 6 different entry points to view. What is achievable here can be done with either great accuracy or by burst shooting, where you aim to capture the perfect frame. I hope it's the former, but if the technology has helped get the best shot then we should embrace it.

It's fine to be using some Photoshop techniques, especially the ones which give a more illustrative nature, if you have a very strong image to work with and it's done in an expert way. This image both fulfils the brief in terms of national dress and also in the subject matter. I think it has succeeded before being augmented within the post production. You are here with this Iraqi man tasting the coffee and that's a great testament to the photographer.

This delicate portrait of a woman wearing a particular form of lace from the island of Lefkara in Greece is shot with exquisite precision and attention to detail. From the electric contrast of the red flowers on the model's head, to the beautifully sharp framing and presentation of the hands, this image demands to hold your attention. The photographer has invested in the quality of the elements and the addition of small props with a simple grey backdrop, not much to it, but it so works.

There is a lot in this image. It struck me, as I was looking closely, that I found the composition a little loose. When you have time to work around a subject don't be afraid to move in and keep improving the framing. I think it could potentially have been tighter, and further in from the right so that the dark panel is not distracting in the background. I was comfortable with the national dress interpretion and think it is a reasonable shot.

This captured moment of joy is a really friendly portrait, and is beautifully framed by the ice covered mountains to the rear of the picture. I even liked the muted colours of the top. I personally think the ship's rail is a distraction and wonder if that could have been avoided. It's a simple device but by removing that by elevating the subject or by shooting her the next deck up, it might have helped. A moment in time nonetheless.

I am going to be a bit controversial here but my interpretation is of a contrived scene, manufactured for the cameras by local indigenous people, purely to take dollar from the tourist. "Look, here we are with our colourful clothes and charming pets and animals." It reminds me of the cruise ship captures of penguins, and the awkwardness of the composition and the subjects only leads me to believe there are many versions of this same image. Not a fan, sorry.

There is a lot of vitality and energy about this capture, reflecting the energy around this independence day picture from Indonesia. I like the drop focus and isolation of the character. I would perhaps have looked for more frames as I think the arm is awkward and I may even have seen this in the native colour as working better, but nonetheless it's a good image and one I'm happy to give some merit to. I look forward to seeing more from this event.