Out of place

A clever visual concept delivered in a simple and very readable image; I really like the thought that has obviously gone into this shot. I think, however, that it needs to be brighter, both to bring out the greens and to isolate the main subject matter – so the whites need pushing a little. I also think the framing could allow a little bit more space below the pile as the framing is rather tight. But overall this is a good image and worthy of the appreciation given it by the Crowd.

Wow! You probably couldn't get a better literal depiction of 'out of place' than this roof garden in full bloom, perched like a nest on top of a townhouse. It's great that the position the image was taken from reinforces the fear-of-toppling absurdity of this garden – it really underlines the sheer eccentricity of the location. The image also demonstrates a good technical understanding in the fact that diverging verticals are squared off and everything is kept sharp. One little thing is that I think a square crop may have worked better – otherwise, it's a very impressive image.

This is a real grower, I think. It captures really well the strangeness of the phone box in this suburban, domestic setting. Visually there's lots of jarring elements here: the open window on the side of the house, the wonky pot on the gravel, the car that's parked too close to the front door, the odd placement of the plant holders on the wall of the extension, the insistent upright of the lamp post. But for me these eye-snagging elements are what make the image work: they add up to create a particular, awkward atmosphere. And of course you've got the shouting red of the phone box, which contrasts nicely with the beiges, whites and greens of the rest of the shot. This phone box has been stripped of its iconic back-lit 'TELEPHONE' glass, and looks very lost and functionless, which injects pathos and adds to the cold, rather absent atmosphere. Added to the strong subject is a technically proficient treatment: good depth of field and no problems with perspective correction.

A great observation of something seriously out of its normal context. The image also works well visually, with a strong contrast between the green grass and the red of the light and the sign. The bit of tree and the shadow on the right-hand side of the image detracts slightly from the main subject, and the traffic lights could have been made more of by bringing them in from the edge; also, it could have been shot from a little lower to make the lights seem that much more unusual in the space.

On first look, we see a ship looming over the road, with a smart bit of framing almost convincing you that this huge hunk of metal is seriously 'out of place', rather than safely fenced off in a next-to-the-road boat yard. I like the cool, almost cross-processed colour treatment, but think the picture would have really pinged with some activity in the foreground: a car rushing past would have injected some drama and made the fence less obvious. (But as Chris's comments on the image indicate, sometimes life doesn't provide the photographer what he or she needs!) Regardless, it's a great attempt, and a clever composition.

This image has a strong, graphic structure that demands attention, and which has obviously been very deliberately composed – the clever framing and use of the line across the top third really helps 'deliver' your eye to the main focus of the shot. This is all crystallised by the high depth of field, which adds an appropriately clinical precision to the careful geometry of the shapes. It's also nice that the 'out of place' cars aren't too obviously shouting what they are: they're sort of crouched up there, which suits the reptilian, almost sinister look of their lights and fenders. One thing: although I'm a real fan of black & white, I can't help wanting to see the colour version of this image.

What really got me with this image is how well and how simply it executes the brief. It's both brilliantly literal – the Patti Smith record is 'out of place' sat in front of the 'Kate Bush' tab in the most straightforward sense – and a very subtle piece of observation (or deliberate miss-filing, we're not sure, which adds extra seasoning to our interest in the shot). On top of this quietly intelligent take on the subject, you've got a nicely realised image: good strong shapes with the repeats in the squares of the albums and the pendant lamps, precise framing and a lovely mood, achieved with some well-judged drop focus that strengthens the graphic shapes of the records in the foreground, as well as pushing back the rest of the shop so that it looks almost dreamy. For me, the subtlety of the idea added to a real sense of atmosphere makes Graham's image a worthy winning shot

Slightly eccentric novelty shot or fine art? Whatever your judgment of this image, it's been put together well, with good composition and strong attention to detail. Whether intentional or not, the angle of the tap handle also adds balance and additional visual impact to the image. Good stuff, even though I don't fully get it!

I liked this beautiful and vaguely disturbing image, with the flower seemingly trapped forever, pressed against the frozen surface in an uncomfortable way. The treatment manages to be almost painterly, which is why I felt it deserved a Top Ten position – it's a very conventional subject, but manages to present something a bit unusual. It also interprets the brief in an unexpected way – and one that is visually quite powerful. Although I think the use of the white around the edge of this image works and the colour density is about right, I would have liked to see a slightly wider crop, and also feel a landscape might have worked better.

You could easily dismiss this image as just a snapshot with nothing much indicating the ideas in the brief, but on closer inspection I saw this as a very pleasing document of a subtle 'out of placeness', and one with lots of narrative intrigue: What are these people building in the churchyard – and why? There's also a gentle sense of rules being broken, something underlined by the glowing pint of bitter in the woman in blue's hand, an item that is probably more out of place in this context than the eccentric-looking building project. It's also a nicely composed image, creating a strong visual contrast between the traditional geometry of the church window and the far more jumbled shape of the emerging structure, and (possibly accidentally captured, but no less powerful for that) lots of repeated triangles in the angles created by scaffolding, building elements, arms and legs. It's a picture that keeps your eye working round it, again and again.

A nice example of what you can achieve by setting up a still-life shoot at home, and demonstrates a good attempt to fulfill the brief, with the penguin nicely central in the image. For me, a little more care over lighting the items to minimise what are rather distracting reflections, and perhaps over-exposing the background would have improved the overall effect. But I still can't look at this image without smiling – you can almost see the penguin's anxiety about not being a natural fit in this line up.

This is a visually compelling shot with a really effective use of high-contrast colours – the Old Master set against the pink umbrella – and a subject perfectly framed in the centre. What's missing for me though, here, is a sense of authenticity. The umbrella been placed as if to protect her from the falling ash is a little contrived, although it's still a good attempt at interpreting the brief. Another thing is that I think it's not totally in focus – more concentration on this front would have secured this image a higher ranking.

This one is both amusing and well observed, with the slightly punky style of lots of street photography. It makes me wonder whether Carly was part of whatever was going on, or did she just stumble on something and quickly snatch an opportunity? The shot has nice framing, and the turned backs of the people in the background neatly underline the redundancy of the pineapple and its sadly out-of-step straws and umbrellas – well deserving of a Top Ten place. One thing: the visual impact of the pineapple might have been greater if Carly had dropped out the background with a shallower depth of field, although I guess playing it this way might have spoilt the image's strong 'street' feel.

A really good example of why you should carry your camera with you at all times – coming across this very-out-of-place moggy must have felt a real gift! The execution is OK, but would probably have been improved by working around the subject more than once to get a slightly different composition. I think the slight barrel distortion at the top of the image could either be cropped out or avoided altogether by shooting the cat using an angle that was straighter onto the subject, and more at the subject's own height. But this is nitpicking – it's still a great example of something 'out of place'.

There's a strong interpretation of the brief here, and the way the idea is executed has a lot of elegance and is nicely understated – your eye takes a moment to 'read' the hydrant, so the box-ticking merit of the picture in terms of the assignment isn't immediately obvious. The correct colour treatment gives this low-sun scene a lovely soft, summery feel, and allowing the light to flare a little in the lens turns the volume up on that mood. There is also the sense that MatK has waited patiently for the runner to become a perfect visual counterpoint to the hydrant; without this touch the image wouldn't have worked nearly so well.

There's a clever use of foreground elements here that gives a real depth to this image, and which frames the very subtly placed subject. The distance between the 'front' and 'back' of the image adds to the quiet drama of the scene: in the last light of the day, the little pink flower set in the midst of this urban scrubland seems almost to be a survivor of something. It's possible the strong graphic shapes of the twisted metal in the image's foreground fight a little too strongly against the very subtle subject, but all in all, this is a good effort.

What a scene to stumble across or, alternatively, how brilliant to know that there is such a cracking 'out of place' subject waiting to be shot! Either way, the boat isolated way away from the water like this makes a great subject. And this treatment frames that subject well, with a dark background providing useful contrast against the highlights on the top of the boat. A couple of things: I think the highlights are a little blown, and it may have worked better to have framed the boat using a side view – there would be more immediacy in the image this way, I think. Generally it's a good idea to grab a quick frame then work the subject again and again in different ways until something else emerges.

I love the lighting on this image and think the composition is pretty strong, with the boat in the background nicely complementing the can. It could be improved with cropping less close above the bridge – this crop feels awkward. Also, with more time (and the necessary software), retouching out the sign alongside the river might also strengthen the focus on the main subject.

Sometimes the unnoticed things are the most powerful subjects in photography. I really like this documentary shot of a spoon left on the street, but the image probably wouldn't work except for its having excellent framing. I think it's also a little over-sharpened – but I can forgive it that because overall it's such a great example of the kind of thing that could so easily get overlooked