One Colour

Initially an overall comment on the contest judging: There were a considerable number of entries in this contest which did not meet the brief, which had asked for one colour (or shades of one colour, plus black and white) throughout the entire frame. This was not to be interpreted as one predominant colour, or two colours, or several colours. As always in my judging, I apply the brief as strictly as I am able, in fairness to those who complied and entered images meeting the brief. There were several great entries which contained more than one colour, but none of these could be awarded or placed as they were not on brief.

On to the winning image: This was one of the stand out images from the start. A simple subject - peas and pods, but one which has been carefully styled and has all elements well placed to help contribute to the strong composition. Very good control of exposure and white balance has kept the peas naturally green against the black background. The choice of a wide aperture has given a limited area of sharp focus, then allowing focus to gently fall away to make a very attractive shot. Congratulations on your winning image.

Images of flower are entered into so many contests, and unusually for me, a flower photograph has made it not only into my top ten, but into second spot. There is something about this flower image which really stood out for me. The different shades of peachy-orange you have captured are lovely and natural looking. I like the format of the image, and the composition with the middle of the flower just off-centre, and the petals filling the entire frame. Whilst everything is in focus, there is a beautiful softness to the shot, which enhances the delicacy of the bloom. You have done well too to give the image a real sense of depth, with a very 3-dimensional look. Beautiful image, and congratulations on having a photo of a flower which stood out for me! Well done on your second place.

This is a very mundane subject which you have managed to capture in a very creative way. Composition is key to this shot, and you have made use of the angles within various parts of the chair-stack to compose and frame the image perfectly. Your control of the lighting has been well handled, as we can see plenty of details, but still have sufficient shadows and highlights to give form to the subject. Focus is nice and sharp too. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

The drama of this image caught my eye initially, as I would not usually expect to see the sea disappearing down a hole! Whilst the image is clearly not quite as the eye would have seen, having been captured with a slow shutter speed, it otherwise looks natural, without excessive digital manipulation or the use of a combination of elements to make an unnatural composite, something which often seems popular in Photocrowd contests. I think the disappearance of the sunshine on the day you took this image worked out well for you, as the cool bluey-greys give the image a great mood. An unusual natural phenomenon, wonderfully captured. Well done on your top ten placing.

This type of image is always quite difficult to judge. Sometimes such images can be rather dull as there is no clear focal point, but I decided to place this image, as I really like it and it caught my attention. Unlike so many entries in this contest, it was bang on brief, with clearly only one colour present throughout the frame, and the rich golden orange has been captured wonderfully - it is bright and bold, but still retains the naturalness of the fruit (candied mango?). Taken from on overhead viewpoint, everything has been kept sharply focused as all parts are within a similar focal distance. Great abstract food image, well done on your top ten placing.

This was a very late addition to my top ten, but once it was there, it crept up the placings to a top three finish. An unusual cityscape image, due to the cool blue monochrome, cleverly converted from what I imagine was a standard black and white night time image. It almost has the look of an inverted/negative image, which captures the attention and makes it look different to a ubiquitous cityscape on water shot. The city ahead (Shanghai?) lends itself to a shot such as this, with buildings in a variety of shapes and sizes, all rising splendidly across the water, giving the eye plenty to explore. The long exposure has worked well by blurring out most of the water reflections, which may have proved distracting in this rather graphic style shot. Excellent choice of image for this contest, as it fits the brief perfectly. Great work, well done on your third place.

This is a fabulous portrait of an equally fabulous looking beast. I really like the unusual framing, which makes the portrait a little different. Focus on the eye is sharp, and you have captured some lovely textural detail in the fur on the creature's head. Very well controlled lighting and exposure, just the right balance between dark and light. Great work, well done on your top ten finish.

I find this type of abstract image very attractive. The additional information alongside the image tells me it is a shot of sand dunes taken from a plane high in the sky, but it could equally be some close up tiny ripples of sand on a beach. There is nothing in the image to reveal the true scale of the features captured, and I like that little sense of mystery. Lovely rich red tones in the sand too. I especially commend you on taking this image from a plane, as there is very little control over the composition, and conditions are not generally conducive to great photography. A lovely abstract landscape image, well done on your top ten placing.

This is a very precise macro shot of a rather mundane subject, and you have done a fabulous job of capturing a great image. Focus on the front matches is pin sharp, to allow us to see the texture in very clear detail. Choice of depth of field for me has worked really well, with the most distant matches out of focus by just the right amount as to avoid being a distracting blur. Lovely, bold bright colouring. Well done on your top ten finish.