One shot, one moment

A fantastic image, even though birds in flight were a common theme in many of the entries. All the elements add up perfectly here for an image that has great composition, atmosphere and an interesting story to tell. Many photographers opt for black and white in travel shots like this, however, the colours in this image bring the image alive.

This photo really tells a story and gets the emotions flowing in people around what can be a debatable subject. The look in his eyes, the hands grasping at the bars and the composition really put you in the raw moment. Black and white is perfect for this. A very powerful picture.

This image doesn't need a lot of explaining as to why its so good; it is a unique moment that wouldn't happen very often. Most of us would scream and start praying in this situation, but the confident action of the diver adds drama to the image. The whole shot - the action, the surroundings, the colours, even the fish make for for a mesmerising photograph.

An image of two halves, with harsh realities and playful youth. The older man conveys a powerful image of hard, dangerous work, as the description tells, and yet the younger man diverts attention from this harrowing tale, showing that there is still fun to be had in a tough environment. The photographer nailed this perfectly.

Sports photography is a popular subject but this particular contest was about catching unique moments as they unfold. This photo gets high commendation from me, as the photographer managed to capture an image that instantly grabs your attention and puts you amongst the action. This image involves sharp focus, perfect exposure and some great anticipation in order to nail this dramatic move in a split second.

There were many wedding pictures entered into this challenge and understandably so, as there are plenty of special moments to be caught. One of the priceless moments of the day is the groom waiting for his bride. I have seen thousands of photographs of this particular moment but none as powerful as this one. It clearly helped to have the right lens and exposure, as the back light of the window would have made it hard to shoot, but this photographer nailed a moment full of passion and emotion. Brilliant.

This image really struck me. The story behind it is uplifting, playful and inspiring. The composition, the light and the colour all make this connection between a child and a stranger very intriguing and unique. The sort of photograph you would see in a professional magazine.

This is a great shot and really caught a moment. However, the slight blurt shows that the shutter speed wasn't high enough or that the photographer was possibly shooting in 'Auto'. For fast action events like this you need a high shutter speed to be ready for the unexpected. The shooter may have had a slower shutter speed in order to pan the racing cars so I understand why a slower shutter speed may have been used in this situation. Great capture nonetheless.

This is a haunting image. Animals don't stay still for very long, especially when your subject is the fastest land animal on the planet. Although this isn't a fast-action shot, the photographer has managed to capture a powerful photograph that draws you in. Maximising the aperture on this lens really isolates the subject and focuses on those piercing eyes. Great shot.

With sports photography it takes a lot to stand out from what is a saturated field. Technically speaking, this is superb, with sharp focus and a great shallow depth of field, but it also adds drama, determination, exertion and puts you right there in the race. This would have made a great black and white shot but I can see why the photographer opted to keep the colours to separate the teams.

A very powerful and moving image with a sad story behind it. The composition, which I presume is deliberate, with the statue in the middle of the frame makes for a very haunting image that will stay with viewers for a long time.