Roofs and Rooftops

The dark moodiness initially attracted me to this image, and the shot has been well processed and converted to black and white to really try to convey the atmosphere of an old pit village. The low key processing has been especially well handled, as there are just enough areas of relative brightness to prevent the image looking too oppressive. I especially like the light curls of smoke rising from the chimneys which bring a contrast of tone and texture. Congratulations on your second place finish.

There were a lot of entries in this contest which showed the view over a town or city, but many were a little too expansive for the subject to be clearly identified as roofs. Here however we are just close enough to be able to clearly see the variation in colours, shapes and sizes of the roofs spread out below. We can also get an idea of the maze of the street network below, and an interesting perspective on historical town planning! Some lovely rich colours, all nicely harmonised and not over-saturated, complete the scene. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

The focal length of the lens used to capture this urban scene has created a wonderful compressed perspective, which further adds to the feeling of a chaotic jumble of the multitude of chimneys and chimney pots on these roofs. There is so much for the eye to explore, from the differences and similarities of the architectural features, to the silhouetted figure walking down the street on the edge of the shot. I love the bright colours in varoius warm shades of browny orange, from the teracotta chimneys to the vivid orange moss on the roof tiles. Congratulations on your third place finish.

A super architectural image where the subject fills the frame, creating a rather abstract image of the roofs and buildings below. The scene is filled with detail from front to back, and for me there is no obvious focal point, but in an image such as this I do not think it matters, as wherever the eye falls, there is plenty to see before setting off to explore the rest of the scene. Everything is well focused, but you have also managed to bring a touch of gentle softness to the image which creates a lovely feel to the shot. Super image, well done on your top ten placing.

I am a great fan of images which fill the frame with the subject, as so often photographers will see and capture a great scene, but feel compelled to include a portion of sky across the top of the image, which will often reduce the overall impact of the shot. Here the subject is obvious, but the urban landscape takes on an abstract feel, with a mass of different shapes and patterns, all harmonising through use of a limited colour palette of greys and whites. It may have been tempting to convert this image to black and white, as it is already rather monochrome, however for me the little pops of colour from the chimneys and moss/lichen on the tiles really lifts the shot. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

An interesting image, filling the frame with a patchwork of roof tiles with just a few tiny windows to break up the expanse of tiles, which adds further interest. Well composed with the triangular shapes of the roof apexes running down the centre of the frame, contrasting with the strong horizontal lines of the roof ridges. A well-seen image, well captured and presented. Well done on your top ten placing.

One of a relatively small number of entries showing more modern architecture and sleek lines, this image stood out as soon as I saw it. Some may find the subject a little mundane, but I like the variety of lines and shapes across the frame. Very well composed, with all the elements being nicely framed, with the key features having plenty of space around them to prevent anything looking cropped off. Good control of the exposure in photographing a white building on a bright sunny day, there are no areas over-exposed or over-bright, just naturally crisp and white, with a cloudless sky of deep blue above to act as a nice contrast. I also love the little pop of yellow on the aerial. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

This supurb image captured my attention as soon as I saw it, and it was never out of my top three placings. What I especially like is the compressed prespective, created as a result of using a relatively long lens, and I also love that your have not felt compelled to include any sky in the image, instead filling the frame with the subject. The HDR-style processing brings a lovely light airy feel to the shot and reveals a wealth of details, and the image keeps on giving the more I look. Certainly not a classically 'pretty' scene, but all the more interesting because of it. Congratulations on your winning image.

I do not know Cornholme, but I imagine from this image and the style of architecture and street plan, that it is probably a town in northern England, which has been captured so well in this image, as we get an excellent viewpoint over the houses and streets in this little section of the town. The conversion to black and white has been done well, and the harsh contrasts suit the subject but have not been over-done. There is so much to hold the interest and explore, from the details of the chimneys and roofs themselves, to the pattern and signs of daily life on the streets below. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.