Rope, String and Cord

An interesting black and white landscape image, standing out through the use of a relatively wide angle lens and low point of view which creates a more dynamic and impactful shot. Initial focus falls on the rope in the foreground, then follows the edge of the netting to the white building in the middle distance. The conversion to black and white has been done well, with a full range of tones from black through to white. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

What initially drew me to this image was the lovely lighting and rich colours on this pile of netting. It can be difficult when photographing a subject such as this to decide how close or far from the subject is best, but I think your decision was just right, as we are close enough to be able to see plenty of textures and details, but just far enough away to see a variety of shapes, patterns and colours and prevent the subject looking too chopped off. I especially like that the subject fills the entire frame with no distracting elements on the edge of the frame. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

An image which gives an overall impression of simplicity, but one which has been carefully composed and framed to create a great abstract. The line between the rich bluey green paint and the rusty cream upper section splits the frame in two, and the ropes running at a slight angle prevent the image becoming a too sterile. I love the rich colours of the paint and rust, and whilst the subject is simple, there is plenty to hold the interest and for the eye to explore. Well done on your top ten placing.

For me the success of this image is all about the capture of the light, which has been photographed here to great effect. Shooting into the light has created some lovely rim-lighting around the figures working on the nets, and the light falling on the netting itself creates a great sense lightness and movement. The image works especially well in black and white, and the conversion has been really well done, with super contrasts between the deep shadows and brighter highlights. Congratulations on your winning image..

For me the beauty and strength of this shot is in the absolute simplicity -two large stacks of coiled rope, with just enough diffetence in colour to create separation between the two, but to also retain a great harmony. Well composed and framed, everything is in clear focus too. Along with the good exposure and tones, the image is full of detail and depth, to hold the intesest in a relatively mundane subject. Simple but very effective, congratulations on your third place finish.

A strong environmental portrait of two fishermen walking from the sea, with the rope as a clear feature to ensure the image is bang on brief for this contest. I like the central positioning of the subjects, and the wider crop ensures all focus is on the subject without too much expanse of sky. Some lovely lighting and tones in the image, with some great textures captures in the rolling water and in the rope. Well done on your top ten placing.

This striking image stood out as soon as I saw it. The subject is obvious as to what it is, but there is a strong abstract element to the image too which I really like. The abstract has been created in part by filling the frame with the subject, and also the brightness of the pale ropes on each crab pot, which look to have perhaps had the colour range adjusted to display as an almost florescent squiggle, repeating in a similar but slightly varying pattern across the frame. Being picky, I may have been tempted to crop the bottom of the image slightly to remove the incomplete row of light rope which partially runs out out of the frame. Still a great image, congratulations on your second place finish.

There were obviously a large number of entries in this contest showing a pile of ropes filling the frame. What makes this one stand out is the overall tones and contrasts, and the clarity of the subject, which is in clear focus but the temptation to over-sharpen or over-exaggerate the textures has been wisely avoided. Great capture of the different colours, and lighting is spot on too, with the nearer pile a little brighter and lighter that the rope behind, which gives a perception of depth to the image. Well done on your top ten placing.

Images made up of multiple individual photographs are often risky to enter in general contests and do not appeal to all. However here I think it has worked well and the subject is an appropriate one to be presented in this way. There is just the right balance between similarity and difference across all the shots, and despite each segment being relatively small, due to the the ropes being captured in close-up there is plenty of detail for the eye to explore. Another plus is the precision with which the individual images have been assembled in the grid, with sufficient contrast between adjoining parts to prevent them merging. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.