New Joiners - People #407

The boys gaze to camera in his moment of rest is really powerful. This image is the winning image for me because its tells a story, one we all take for granted on a daily basis. It's creative and technical merits should also be awarded but overall secondary to the documentation. Great shot well done.

This doesn't look real which I love! At first glance I thought it was an illustration as the colours are so wonderfully vibrant and textured. You've done a great job capturing that moment of the hair and water creating that shape. Really interesting shot!

This is wonderful, the lighting is so soft on the skin but maintains those lovely highlights in the hair giving shape to the twirls. I think if you are learning lighting by combining a speed light and iPhone then you are doing extremely well! Its great to experiment with various light sources to see the results, you don't need expensive lighting gear to get great results and this is proof! Great shot and submission.

You've created a wonderful timeless quality to this portrait. The candid approach works very well, having him look off camera suggests he's reflecting on his past. The dreamy back lighting and soft focus all add to the character and strength of the shot. Great submission.

What I like about this as a submission to a people contest is the ambiguity of the figures in your forest/woodland. It's a different perspective putting nature in the foreground, illustrating our interaction in the landscape. I love the silhouetted scene and space in the sky.

Its a tricky shot shooting into the sun like this but you've done really well to keep the tones and detail in, plus the flare looks brilliant. Shooting the backs of people is also hard but I understand your motivation for a candid shot which you got. You could try moving round a little to catch some profile or have your friends phone held a little higher to help tell the story.

Thanks for submitting a snippet into your world and personal life at home. It's a great documentary shot but also works well as a portrait. The viewer is led straight to your sons eyes which then lead to the family on the porch. The composition is very strong but not at all obvious, I like the idea of the family being centre top and your son slightly to the left of centre frame. It's great, well done.

Pretty atmospheric shot this, almost straight out of a movie. I like the way you have used the TV screen to illuminate your grandma's profile. It would be great to see a wider shot too with some more of the room, I can just make out the kitchen but I think it would be really interesting to pull back and see more of your grandma on the chair and the environment. Thanks for submitting this shot! Hope to see more...

This is a really interesting photograph demonstrating freedom and a true creative spirit. The colours are great and I love the washed out hand and top half of the image. The world isn't short of flower photography but I think you've hit on something quite interesting by combining two shots together here. Keep going with these! Would love to see more.

This picture has a slightly hyper real feel to it. The skin tones are magic. It almost looks like a solarised print (you may need to look that up depending on your age!) Cellophane is not an easy material to photograph. You've done well but I would love to see this image or a series without it. I think you have created a great shot with brilliant tones. The eye pieces are interesting (Man Ray esque) - A period of photography you may find of interest...

Capturing street portraits is a tricky genre as there are so many aspects to consider. Making that initial contact is hard so you've made a great start there. You mention the glare concerned you, but in fact in a situation like this it could add to the image. Perhaps you've come in close to avoid some of it where you may like to consider stepping back from your subject and incorporating more of her environment to capture a wider scene. We hope to see more of these passing street moments in the future! For some further public transport photography inspiration check out 'Preston Bus Station' by Jamie Hawkesworth.

I find your write up fascinating especially relating to the post processing. Its hard to critique an image technically with such a strong and valid point to your submission! I think if you enjoy making pictures and they bring happiness to you then that's a beautiful thing. Thanks for sharing your ideas and we hope to see more.