Rope, Cord and String

This is a great example of an image taken using a lens with a wide focal length, in which the foreground element becomes dominant in the scene. Many people tend to use a wide angle for a landscape image, but omit to include a strong foreground subject, which can lead to images lacking interest and everything appearing a little too distant. For this contest the subject choice for your foreground is spot-on. The slow shutter speed used has brought a nice softness to the shot through the movement blur of the clouds. Well done on your top ten finish.

This shot is all about the texures, and you have captured them wonderfully. The sign of a great textural image is if the viewer can imagine how the subject would feel to tough, and here I totally can. There is an almost HDR-feel look to the processing, but that has worked with the subject, as the shadows have been lifted to show detail, but we still have good contrast to avoid the image turning too flat. A great textural study, well done.

A classic use of the compositional technique of lead-in lines, drawing the eye from the foreground in a snaking curve to the city buildings in the far distance. I love the cool tones throughout, punctured slightly by warmer tones in the central skyline. Whilst the rope is not an overly dominant feature, it has been creatively captured in the foreground by use of a wide angle lens, and I like the way the line of rocks forms a continuation of the rope way into the distance. Well done on your top ten placing.

This striking image stood out for me as soon as I saw it, and for a time it was in and out of my placings. Where I was initially undecided was the positioning of the rope within the frame. As the background screen when judging the contest is also black, I am unsure of the actual format of the image, and I do still wonder if a central composition would have worked better. I would rarely suggest the benefits of adding any digital frame effect around any image, but here the addition of a very narrow keyline around the image may have helped. It is still a great shot, with sharp focus and bold but natural colouring. Well done on your top ten placing.

This is a great image on many levels, and I can appreciate the skill in it's capture the more I look. Your control of the lighting is great, as despite shooting into the bright light, there are no burnt out areas, and the perfectly positioned figure is a virtual (but not quite) silhouette. The square crop sets off the subject, and your timing is to be commended, as we see the net at its widest extension, but the lower edge just starting to splash down into the water adds to the action of the shot. Lovely work, well done on your top three finish.

There were a good number of entries in this contest which showed circular spirals of rope, but this one stood out for me. Focus is sharp on the rusting hook, but the depth of focus is sufficient throughout the rest of the shot to see the details and textures on the rope. Photographing a black rope was probably not the easiest thing, but you have retained a good range of tones which highlights the form and shapes. Well composed too. Great work.

A simple but very attractive image, taking on an abstract feel due to the composition and the close-in view. I especially like your decision to cut the image in two, with the contrasting yellows and blues each taking up half of the shot. The ropes coming across the image at a slight angle help keep the scene natural and prevent it looking too staged. Some lovely textures captured in the rope and the paint . Great work.

The image is so simple, but as is often the case, this is certainly a fine example of "less is more". The subject could be considered mundane to some, but I find it very attractive, and your composition of the image has been very successful, with the horizontals nice and level, and the slight tilt of the post on the right just enough to keep the shot natural. A very wide aperture has kept the depth of field shallow, with the background beyond the rope and fence being nicely blurred. The limited colour palette of soft grey-greens works really well too. Great image, well done on your second place.

There is something I find very attractive about this image, which I am still finding difficult to pinpoint. Focus is maybe not the sharpest - I wonder if you have either used a long telephoto lens or cropped into the scene afterwards, but I still think it's great. I think the strength is in the composition, placing the hanging nets/pots in one third of the image, with the rope hanging across the other portion of the shot, which prevents that side looking too bare. The colours work well too, as they have been kept soft and natural. Well done on your top ten finish.

What I especially like about this winning image is the colours and tones you have captured. The colour contrast between the greeny blues and the orange is very appealing, and whilst the colours are still strong, they are not overwhelming and remain rich, but natural. When faced with a scene such as this, it can often be difficult to decide what to include and what to leave out, but your composition and framing here works really well. The nets curving across the bottom of the shot provide a natural frame and hold everything in nicely. Congratulations on your winning image.