Resting

The mood and rich tone of this shot are both wonderful. One soft key light on the face and low depth of field take us straight to the woman's face. The green blanket has a great edge where the light hits it and this diagonally divides the image from the darker area. It has a fantastic sense of quiet, peace and rest, so it fulfils the brief beautifully. Again there is space in the image which adds to its strength. The dark areas evoke mood and also make sure our focus is on the woman. I love how the low light hits the face creating great shadows and form.

The space and simplicity of this wide shot are perfect. Making the image black and white enhances the graphic strength of the photo with the strong vertical lines leading the eye into the resting figure and the boat off shore. The softer horizontal lines of the sea work well too. Making the image b&w has simplified it and focused us on the structure of the shot. The classic rule of thirds always works well in photos and paintings and this photo has that going on with the three different horizontal sections of deck, water and sky. There is the right amount of contrast in the shot too. A lovely shot.

The use of space in this image is great. Placing the model/subject in the bottom third of the image works really well - the roots of the tree naturally lead the eye down. I'd be interested to know if this was a comped together shot or a captured moment? No matter, either way it works really well visually and is a fabulous shot. The still and symmetrical pose of the model works at the bottom of the chaotic roots of the trees. The red trousers add to the strength of the image too. The daylight from above create good shadow and form on the torso. A wonderful shot that fulfils the brief really well.

A great story in this photo. There's a lot going on and a lot to look at, but it's not overly busy for the eyes due to the monochrome colours which hold it all together. The odd dashes of colour work well and the contrasty nature of the image keep the blacks solid which make it less busy. The composition is really well considered - keeping the main subject off to the left of frame is great. Your eye moved around the shot. This so nearly came into the top 3 - if only I could have had a top 4. The eye contact also works well and makes it a stronger shot. This is a great documentary/portrait image.

This shot has a lovely painterly feel and shooting into the light, or contre-jour, gives the image an ethereal soft ambience. The composition is strong using the dark leading edge of the tree trunk at the bottom of the frame, which also works well to make the model stand out in the shot. The styling is simple and soft and suits the tone of the image. This photo is great and rather than being a captured moment or reportage style it was very considered, thought-out and well-executed with a lovely result.

This image really stood out from the many people lying down shots that were submitted because of the hue/tone and composition. The colour manipulation of the background works really well at keeping our attention on the subject, and then restricting the palette to the blue tones makes it even stronger. The man is framed by the horizontal vertical lines beautifully, which gives the image a graphic structure. It has mood and a rich quality. We get a sense of the scene with the low depth of field, but the softer focus background again keeps our full attention on the subject.

I love this photo. It has wonderful space, muted natural tones and a great feel to it. Leaving two thirds of the image clear and empty works really well, and it's always good when someone finds a different view to shoot from. Shooting from ground level in the same plane as the subject's head height gives a great perspective. The very low depth of field (shooting wide open) adds to the softness and gentle tones, and concentrates the eye on the model. The view is out to sea, but the model is gazing upwards into the space of the image.

A fantastic shot and technically excellent. It works really well in black and white, but I would imagine it would work equally well in colour. The shot feels like a fairy tale and has a sense of performance or staging to it. I'm not sure if it was set up, but that doesn't really matter because it works wonderfully well to fit the brief and is a really strong shot, very professionally executed. Really nice composition. Had to be in the top 10!

Lots of wonderful things to say about this image. The lighting, the captured moment, the composition are all great. The hat in the key light and the smoke are vital. The image has a narrative helped by the other incidental elements in the shot - the hands putting on gloves, for example, enhance the scene. The image fulfils the brief of 'resting' really well. The shot was refreshing to see as it took a slightly different tack on 'resting'. It is rich in tone and colour and has a quality of a film still. Well done, it's a wonderful image.

The lighting is perfect in this shot - so much so that it looks like it has been professionally lit and is a film still. Keeping the lens wide gives us the whole scene. The dark areas are as important to show to highlight the subject and add to the narrative of the shot. The focus is on the security guard with the light and colour, but having everything else in focus too really works in the shot - you want to explore the scene to work out the story. The strong contrast works well too. There is an illustrative quality to the shot due to the colours and contrast. This completely fulfils the brief and tells a story - great image.

A wonderful captured moment, where the photographer got right in there and 'got the shot'. As a viewer you feel like you're intruding into her privacy- it's up-close and personal. The green jumper peeping out on the sleeve and in her middle somehow make the photo more successful as it needed a pop of colour. There was a photo journalist who once wrote that if the shot is not good enough, you're not close enough. This works because you are right in there.

This was one of the few images without a person in it and it stood out for that reason. I loved how the photographer took the brief and didn't literally translate it in the most obvious way. The story of the village is poignant and thought-provoking. It has a Martin Parresque feel with the colours and flowers, and it looks like the fill-in flash has gone off on the gate to give it that feel. Using a wide lens and getting everything in focus can get a bit busy on the eye, but it suits this photo

I really like the composition of this photo with the stair rail leading the eye diagonally into the shot from bottom left. The pool of light hitting the figures is lovely and it's a good mix of architecture and people using the space well. The limited colour palette also works really well. The slight hot white spots on the female look a bit 'digital' but I think that's down to camera. This image is strong and I don't think it needs the border in presentation.

A beautiful photo with the photographer successfully working in very low light and using a slow shutter speed. The feeling is peaceful and restful and is totally on track fulfilling the brief perfectly. The muted/limited tones give the photo a painterly feel. This may also come from using high ISO, but it works really well. The composition is good and the closeness of the crop add to the intimacy of the image. It's a really lovely shot, well done.