Outdoor Pavements and Paving

A striking image, shot into the low sun on a quiet urban street, casting long shadows across the pavement. The image works especially well in black and white, and the strong contrasts really suit the subject. I love the little rim of light around the person's head and the entire body length of the figure on the right, and how the light and shadows reveal the textures of the bobbled pattern on the paving to signify a crossing. Congratulations on your winning image.

A simple concept for an image, but one that has been well executed and it extremely effective. Although recognisable for what it is, by filling the frame with the subject we get a more abstract image with plenty of pattern details for the eye to explore. I like the composition, with the lines of the steps running on a diagonal and the angle of the two steps sitting on the 'thirds' line intesection. Congratulations on your third place finish.

By shooting in harsh sunlight, and composing the image carefully to position the cyclist appropriately, the shadow becomes a key subject of the shot along with the paving, also bringing an abstract feel to the photo. The bright colours of the tiled paving draw the eye but have not been overdone, and seem in harmony with that I imagine to be a summer's day on a waterfront promenade. Congratulations on your second place finish.

The lines of the steps and shadows of the railings make this a rather busy image, but by including the cyclist there is an initial focal point to draw the eye, before wandering around to explore the rest of the scene. Conversion to black and white works well, as that allows the shot to take on a more abstract feel and allows the shapes and patterns to dominate. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

I love this image, shot low to the ground giving an interesting and unusual perspective of the cobbles of Oxford. No image of Oxford would be complete without a bicycle or two, and here we are treated to a long line of them extending down the street. The use of a wide aperture has given a shallow depth of field, which works well here as the foreground and background elements are still visible, but suitably out of sharp focus to avoid the scene being too messy. On the same score, the black and white conversion works well too. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.