People on the Phone

Another of my top 10 using light to great effect. The monochrome is beautifully rendered from the darkest blacks to greys and whites falling where they need to to draw our eye to the subject. Focus and detail is excellent and noise well controlled. We can see she is on the phone but you tell us the whole story of her at work on her street stall and so the phone becomes a prop and not the main subject. The star burst on the light adds more visual interest.

This image is totally different to the 999 others in the competition and that's what it takes to do well. Full marks for pushing the boundaries and finding a different take on the theme. The story is great - reminds me of ringing some call centres where we are asked to hold forever until we are literally dead! A great political comment implied here as well. Lighting is terrific and the subject is sharp where it needs to be with good detail and texture all over. Great exposure so the negative space is rendered to total black. I enjoy the fact that although its without life the eyes engaged with the phone give it life anyway and we do feel some emotion. There are many people today who would say that mobile phones have turned us all into zombies - perhaps they are right!

Congratulations! The contrast between the age and cultural context of the subject with a modern phone device is beautifully seen. The detail and texture captured is stunning and her engagement with the lens draws us in. The mobile phone is there but its not immediately obvious which I like once we find it. An exquisite image and a clear winner.

Photography is the art of seeing light and here we see it in spades. Well done! Phone light in portraits is hard to do well but here it just light enough for us to see the detail and character in the face. You have captured catch lights in both eyes which for me is essential in any portrait. We know he's on the phone but its not overwhelming. The rendering to black and use of negative space is well handled. A worthy second place.

I absolutely love this image, thank you for seeing the possibility and capturing it. I would be very proud to have this in my own portfolio. The monochrome rendering is stunning with crisp blacks and the whites in the hair and skin tone delightful and sharp. Composition is exquisite and we see another phone in the foreground and your daughter's boot adds a lovely touch to demonstrate her relaxed teenage attitude. I enjoy that she is not on the phone for a change but holding an insect on the face of it. Its a cinematic creation and a very worthy top 10 image.