Black & white portrait

I love everything about this image! I love the fact that this is not the typical representation of what most would describe as a portrait. But it is such a well executed portrait on so many levels. It is beautifully balanced and has a wonderful tactile quality to it. I love the fact that those perfectly drawn lips act as the main focus in the same way that an engaging gaze would. And despite the absence of an eye to eye contact, the crop and shallow depth of field draw the viewer into the frame. The tone and grain further emphasise this feeling of exotic mystery that you are immediately hit with when looking at the picture. This is perfect, well done!

This is a sweet capture of a young family member. The subject is relaxed, deeply concentrating on trying to catch one of the soap bubbles and thus oblivious to the photographer's lens. The lighting is nice and even, and the ISO setting suggests a sunny day. The photographer shot the image at f1.8, clearly intending to isolate the subject from the background. However, selecting a slightly smaller aperture, perhaps around f2.8 or f3, would have brought a little more detail into the foreground of the frame, particularly giving added definition and shine in the floating bubbles. Overall, a great effort.

A strong shot with no fancy thrills needed. There is so much to read in this frame. Again, a shallow depth of field gives us enough background information as to who the subject is and where he is. The viewer is then immediately grabbed by his gaze, a stare which is hard to let go of or get away from. There stands a weathered-skin shepherd with imposing but unpretentious confidence on, possibly, a windy day. The lines on his face, the layers of clothes, his seemingly unkempt appearance, his hands, the stick and bag are all details contributing to letting the viewer know what it means to be a shepherd.

A well-done shot of a young girl enjoying a windy day. I was drawn to this image because of its vintage-like quality. This black and white shot could easily pass as a still from an old French movie or could be used as a poster for a Fellini film. The scarf detail adds to this and places the scene somewhere on the continent. This is a simple candid shot captured with a zoom lens and so with no direct intrusion on its subject.

Another beautifully captured portrait! I love the energy that exudes from this fully stretched little hand. The message is pretty clear and made all the more obvious as focus has been brought to the foreground whilst background details have been completely obliterated. This is a great use of depth of field, which has allowed the photographer to step away from a literal representation of the subject. Instead, everything about the subject, who we guess to be a child, is suggested and has been given away by the size of one little grubby hand. Great shot!

This was one of the few entries shot on a smartphone. With so many great apps out there and with phone photography almost being the norm, I was surprised not to see more images shot this way. This one was taken with Hipstamatic. To me, most black and white images seem to be laced with an inherent element of magic coupled with a little nostalgia, and this shot has that thanks to possibilities made available by the app. It also arouses a lot of curiosity because of its cryptic title, the subject and her potential state of undress and the presence of the crow. A great image that has definitely piqued my interest.

A playful black and white portrait of a seemingly funny and quirky character engaging with the photographer. Some of the focus is slightly lost around the eye and the finger, but this does not distract from Ric's amazing face and silly pose. The softness around the wild hair is excellent. There is also more to read about the character through the additional details and signs of individuality that the image provides, e.g. the snap-back worn back to front, the dirty finger nail, the wedding ring and the herringbone texture of his jacket. This is a great portrait that leaves me wanting to know more about Ric.

What is there not to love about this shot? A brilliant frozen frame zoomed in to capture a true expression of wonder. The aperture (f4) used by the photographer allows for plenty of sharp details around the subject's facial features. One could almost feel his breath or hear his gasp of surprise coming out of the frame from his open mouth. The skin tone, along with the balance between mid tones and highlights are spot on. A perfectly well executed and captured portrait.

This is a great attempt at capturing a quirky looking character. I like what the photographer was trying to do here by seizing such a fleeting moment. However, what I would have liked to see is a slightly wider shot, taken from a somewhat different angle as the current viewpoint is a little low and part of the Station Master's profile is obscured. Focus is also lost on the face as the viewer's eye is currently drawn to the subject's hat. Having said that, great choice of subject and great effort.

Another sweet portrait of a young subject, comfortable and engaging with the photographer's lens. However, the image could be improved by changing the viewpoint to a slightly higher or a 45-degree angle. The model's legs, which appear out of proportion, are filling up most of the frame, creating too much of a distraction from the subject's face. If you are not under the pressure of a capturing a moving subject, it is always worth moving around your model to decide on the best shooting point. Great effort.

This is a beautiful little face captured by a single source of light. The portrait appears to be a very candid shot, which, as the title 'The Charmer' suggests, focuses on the child's facial features and expression. I am intrigued by the subject and would have loved to have seen a wider shot so as to be given a little more information and an idea of narrative. Where and when was the picture taken? What was the subject doing? And would the answers to these questions affirm the picture's title?

This one made me smile. This is a lovely picture, a typical street kids/kids at play shot with one particularly infectious smile. A crazy duo on the left and at the front a slightly more weary subject, or who may be just shy, may have been interrupted mid-play or is just not into the idea. The frame could have benefited from a wider crop to include the football and hand of the front subject but other than that, great shot!

This shot is a great example of how to seize the opportunity to create a different image within really simple settings. The selected aperture (f3.5) enabled the photographer to incorporate the surrounding elements of the location by playing with the reflections on the window. The symmetry of the track's lines and the window frame edge is also well observed. Post-processing is more than competent, but shows a little highlights-bleaching on the left-hand side of the model's face and overly darkened lips giving the illusion that Sarah is wearing lipstick. Overall, a fantastic shot which lends itself perfectly to this competition.

This is a very funny, smile-inducing wide-angle shot, which certainly grabs attention. The natural barrel distortion which comes with wide-angle lenses has a definite comical effect on this shot, which is further emphasised by the fact that both subjects in the frame are also grinning. The use of the wide lens adds a sense of movement in the cloudy background too. It is a shame that the subject on the left has been cropped off the main frame (is this a selfie?) and that the focus point has wandered off towards the left of the busy background. Good effort.