Puddles

I really like the abstract feel of this image, with the figure segmented slightly by the breaks in the paving. The bright colours work well with shiny reflections, and with this particular subject, I think the decision to present the image upside down to the way it was taken has worked well. There are some large areas of burnt-out highlights where no image data has been captured, but that does not seem to detract from the image in this case, as the image is full of contrast throughout. Lovely abstract shot, well done.

The bold contrasts drew me to this image, and I am sure your decision to convert this image to black and white was correct, as it gives a more abstract look, focusing more on lines and shapes. It can often be quite difficult to visualise how such a shot will work out, but you were obviously able to appreciate the potential of the scene in front of you. Great work, well done on your top ten finish.

A general comment initially: There were quite a number of entries in this contest which showed pools of water such as on a beach, or of lakes, ponds and rivers etc. Whilst some of these were great images, in this contest I feel they were not meeting the brief of showing a puddle. Therefore images clearly taken in such locations, where for example, the water was left by a receding tide, were not awarded in this contest.

On to the winning image: There were quite a few changes in the positions of my top 15 or so images, but this one eventually claims the top spot. It is well composed with the darker tree centrally placed, and a few scatterings of snow in the puddle add to the winter scene. The colours work well, showing some nice contrast between the warmer shades on the trees, with the cooler tones of the snow and the ground. Being critical, I wonder if this image would have been improved further by presenting the picture upside down (so the trees looked the right way up!) as that may have created an even more pleasing abstract feel to the shot. I have looked at it upside down a quite a few times, but am still undecided. Still a great wintery abstract, congratulations on your wining image.

This is an image I kept coming back to, and eventually decided it deserved to be placed in the top three. I like the calmness and freshness you have conveyed in the scene, which looks to have been taken on a crisp morning before the sun rises to heat ground and melt away the overnight frosts. The composition of the shot works well, with the puddle curving through the shot and leading us to the unknown around the bend ahead. Colouring of the image works well, combining the warmth of the rising sun and the red soil, with the chill of the dawn. A gentle landscape image, very pleasing on the eye. Well done on your third place finish.

In this contest there were obviously a great many entries showing reflections in the puddles on city streets. This was one of my favourites, mainly due to the composition of the elements within the shot. It looks like you selected your position carefully, and waited for the figures to walk into the image and capture them at just the right place in the scene. Being picky, the image could maybe have benefited from a little more contrast to give a wider range of tones, as we have more a grey and grey image, than black and white. However, that may have been your intention, to reflect the grey of the weather, and the shot still works well. Great image.

This image shows us all the grim reality of the back streets of cities and suburbs found in many countries - a mishmash of architecture, shuttered and bricked up frontages, rolls of razor wire and some great puddles just to complete the dreary mundanity of the scene! I am undecided whether it would have enhanced the image if you have waited for a distant figure of a person or animal to cross the end of the street. This would have brought some life to the shot and added a focal point, but on the other hand, the image does have a certain strength by being devoid of life. Probably this image will not appeal to everyone due to the mundane subject matter, but I think it's a great capture. Well done.

This is a great example of an entry into this contest which needed the puddle to balance the composition of the shot, as it gives the required foreground interest. Many may find the subject here a little too mundane and easily to overlook the image, but I like the drab, industrial scene, with the surrounding muddy scrubby land. A great documentary image, of an industrial plant which you tell us is now demolished. Well done on your top ten placing.

This image is a great example of how a shot can be altered entirely by pushing exposure and contrasts, etc. By doing this you have elevated this shot from a photo of a fence reflected in a rainy puddle, to a bold abstract of lines and circles. The subject is still obvious, but I think the image is more pleasing by the way you have ramped up the contrast to give us just blacks and whites. If possible, it may have been better when composing the shot if you could have moved slightly to the right, which would have enlarged the size of the top right trianglar section to better balance the one on the bottom left, which could have enhanced the graphic abstract nature of the shot even further. Well done on your top ten finish.

A clever creative image with a slight hint of comedy. I think you made the right decision to convert the shot to black and white, as I imagine colour maybe would have been too distracting and could have lessened the impact of the leaping figure reflected in the brightest part of the puddle. With reflection shots such as this, it is often hard to decide whether to present the image upside down, or the "right" way around. I think your decision too flip the orientation works best with this subject, so the figure is the right way up. Good use of the light to keep the strongest contrasts where needed, to highlight the figure and umbrella. Well done on your top ten finish.