Patterns in nature

What a captivating portrait of a fabulous bird. The more I look at the head of the owl, the more fascinating I find it. Your image has wonderfully captured the beauty, but also the visual strangeness of the creature. Focus on the eyes is spot on, and we can see great detail and texture in the feather patterns. Excellent black and white conversion, strong contrasts but the brightest highlights have been held back just enough to retain detail. My only criticism is the darkened area on the body of the bird on the right of the image, but this does not distract from a beautiful study of a fascinating bird. Stunning image, congratulations on your win.

A great abstract image of a beautifully detailled flower. The square crop works well with the subject and adds to the abstract feel of the shot (unsure however about the addition of the white frame). Colours are vibrant, but not over-saturated, and technically well executed in terms of focusing, composition, exposure etc. Alongside the technical aspects, and importantly for me to merit a placing, the image has impact, over and above a regular shot of a flower, and because of that was always in my top ten. Well done on your third place finish.

This image attracted me from when I first saw it, and it was always in my top three. Lighting across the image is excellent, as we have a wide range of tones, but no part is too bright or too dark. I am unsure whether the colouring is natural or had the hue adjusted, but whatever, the colouring is lovely and if adjusted, still suits the subject. Focusing is pin sharp, which allows us to see lots of elaborate details and textures. Composition works well, and whether by accident or design, there is a strong diagonal across the frame which gives some structure to an otherwise random display. Processing has been kept natural, which suits the subject too. Congratulations on your second place.

(Irrelevant to the judging, but I believe the shells in this image have been incorrectly titled, as to me they look like sea urchins, not mother of pearl)

This is a great image of the uniquely fascinating patterns sometimes found on the sand as the tide goes out. The lighting you have captured, with both highlights and shadows, emphasises the form of the sand ripples on the lower half of the image really well. Colouring is relatively natural, with enough conrast in tones to show the details of these wonderful patterns at their best. The square crop suits the subject well too. Well done on your top ten finish.

Whilst this shot is instantly recognisible for what it is, you have created a well composed abstract image here too. A brave decision to convert to black & white, which looks to have worked well for this contest, as we can concentrate on the lines and shapes of the patterns, rather than be distracted by colour. Tonal range has been kept relatively limited too, which avoids harsh contrasts, and importantly prevents the plain area on the top right section dominating by what could easily have become over-bright. Great work.

This image shows good use of a wide angle lens, accentuating the foreground and highlighting the patterns formed in the water by the slabs of broken ice. I like the overall tone and muted colouring, as it brings an added chilly feel to the shot. Being picky, I may be tempted to slightly desaturate the pink hues on the skyline on the right, as that tends to draw the eye from the main subject. Still a great image, and an interesting subject for the theme. Great work.

There were several images of succulent spirals entered into this contest, but for me this was the one which stood out. Focusing is sharp enough to see all the spiky and pointy details, and you look to have managed to retain the natural colouring of the plant. What you have also managed to do well, is retain the textures of the plant, even in the smooth areas, as I can still imagine that dull, cool, squeeky feel if I were to touch the leaves. Great natural abstract, well done on your top ten placing.

It would be interesting to see this image in colour to be able to judge the difference between the colour and black & white version - I imagine the version we see here is by far the better to highlight the patterns formed by the drooping heads of the crop. The pattern looks to be result of the light catching the crop and your ability to capture the contrast between the highlights and the darker areas. I may have been tempted to darken the shadows and midtones even further to create even more of a contrast, without making things too harsh. Lovely image though, well done.

A great subject choice for this theme, as we have patterns on several levels - both in the curling shape formed by the tail, and the colourful patterns formed by the scales on the skin. Very well composed and framed. The use of the black background sets off the shape and colours nicely and adds to the overall impact. Wonderful image, well done.