An object you love

This title of this photograph is Poco Loco Perro, which I presume is either his name or a reference to the slightly mad behaviour of this charming little dog. He is Havanese and quite small, so the photographer did well to get the eye level shot and he is even looking sideways into the lens. The overall image has been nicely drained of colour which gives it a washed-out vintage denim look. All the fur is pin sharp and the cloudscape is spot on.

Photographs don't always have to be perfect to catch the imagination. The boat mast cuts through the middle of the shot, however the lighting on the plate, the sparkle and shadows through the tea strainer together with the reflections on the water evoke a balmy summer feeling. There's enough buttered buns to go round and we just need to press down the filter in the coffee and we are good to go – it looks like the best coffee break ever. The closeness of the foreground gives the shot the umph it needs. Maybe a little too much plate if anything but the photo has done its job and we have made a note and will be going to find this very spot next weekend!

A fantastic portrait without doubt. Everything you could possibly ask for, a beautiful subject and perfect lighting. The skin tones are peachy and the highlights on the hair frame the face. The eyes are pin sharp as they need to be and the little girl's pose looks as if she is possibly about to smile...maybe. Children as we know can be fickle. It can be so difficult to capture the innocence along with some strength of character but this one has succeeded. A very strong photo cropped just right and the black tones all around the edge give the shot its power.

We all loved Topo Gigio! This is truly excellent styling for this doll. He does need to be on stage and of course in black and white as he always was. The strong lighting and his shadow together with the boards add to the theatrical feel. And doesn't he look good for his age – maybe he should make a comeback! An inspirational idea well thought through and executed. I don't think the shot could be bettered by anything. Well done.

How incongruous is a football game in a rice field?
This action shot is powerful. You can hear the splash of the water and the noise of the players. The composition is perfect, with the boy diving in the foreground and the flow of the other players arms around and above him. Pure essence of the love of football. Like all action shots an element of luck is present – a fraction of a second either way and the three main characters might not be so strong. There are no eyes open but this doesn't detract, the whole scene is just joyful.

This photo was a yes/no, then no/YES. We wouldn't normally pick out a shot that has been filtered so much but there is so much to like in the styling. The picture is balanced with the canal in the background just over a third of the way from the top, the bicycle is perfectly placed to balance the metal handrails and the tree in the tub just couldn't be anywhere else! Together with the crisp edges and the softness in the background it deserves to be in the commendation section. I love the colour palette, too.

Wow, fantastic composition. The richness of the colours stand out and make the whole thing so luscious we have to compare it to an old master oil on canvas. The lighting gives perfect highlights to the fruit and bowl and the exposure is perfect,

If photography had been invented before paint and brushes we wouldn't have needed realism in paintings. The red subject matter together with the subtle green leaves gives the whole scene a richness. The palette of highlights and deep shadows is just right. And look how the pomegranate seeds sparkle like little jewels in the foreground!

A striking portrait of a noble looking cat. It's cropped tight which has given the shot extra power and the emerald eyes are a great contrast to the marmalade coat. I don't know how you got the cat to stay still enough to get close – our cat will turn away from any camera never mind trying to get her to look into the lens! It is pin sharp and grabbed our attention so much so we have looked at it several times. We just love the detail.

A really good photo. Tranquil and serene, good movement in the water with the reflections rippling. The position of the boats is just right and the colours add to the stillness, making it all look very fresh and calm. Is it early morning or evening? We can't quite tell, but it is very atmospheric. We think that the photo can be improved by cropping the top and bottom, taking out the squareness and turning it into a horizontal shot. A competent photograph though and a good composition.

Nicely composed shot. The Pullman carriages were a delight and many years ago we would pay the extra to travel on the Bluebell line from London to Brighton. This photo was taken in spring so the leaves on the trees are new and vivid and the lighting just gives the image so much punch. The composition is very pleasing with the train just leaving the road bridge behind. The visible sky in the top right is the same hue as the smoke from the engine (all contained within the frame) and helps balance the colours. I love the reflection in the carriages but I do think they are just a little too saturated. It might also be worth reducing the colour of the orange plastic pipes in the bottom left. An evocative shot, fit for the very best train calender.

Great subject, lovely horse and rider. The lighting is good, filtering across the leaves in the background and catching the rider's hair, the side of her face and the horse. The sand being tossed up by the hooves, leaving a dust trail, adds to the action shot. The only suggestion is that we would have liked to have seen the photo taken one or two seconds later, when we could have seen a more three quarter shot of the horse. A little more contrast would also help. Excellent effort, well done – not an easy subject.

Well, what can we say? We love cats and of course bags and could not let this one go unnoticed. The lighting across the cat's face is purrfect, with the light catching the eyes and highlighting the beautiful markings on his coat. This cat looks comfy and at home! We think it would have been improved a little with closer cropping, as the background is busy and a little distracting, but otherwise a great shot. We know you have to be quick taking pictures of animals, any sense that you are up to something and they normally get up and move on.

A dynamic shot which gives the glass both fragility and strength at the same time. The colours of course are bright and shade from honey to blood orange, the lighting is set just right leaving the background pieces just sparkling without much colour, giving depth to the shot. The chandelier appears to be resting on a piece of black glass which provides an extra, reflective dimension. The subject matter is the hero of course, but the photographer has done well to capture this spectacular example of glassblowing.

This photograph shows how effective just one light in the correct place can be. The marbles have been thoughtfully placed and a single light source has spread the internal marble colours across the paper. The light is very low and this has made the shadows of the marbles long and interesting. The angle of the light has also given the paper background some texture and interest. The camera is not directly above the marbles so there is a slight depth of field issue, f8 was used so perhaps a smaller aperture or even moving the camera directly overhead would have done the trick. I would also have liked to have seen the shadow of the bottom marble contained in the frame, but now I'm being really picky! Great shot.