Industry

With such varied colours and textures in this image, it's a pity that it doesn't quite come together. It also lacks the contrast needed to lift it into the very good. The composition needs to be more considered, as the two figures in red at the centre are distracting.

A long exposure and a monochrome palette focus the eye on the graphic elements of this well composed photo. The use of thirds is well demonstrated here, which gives the image its pleasing composition.

This is a sublime image that combines very simple elements in a way very pleasing to the eye. The colours work well, but it doesn't quite fit in this competition on portraying industry.

This is more of a landscape shot, but nevertheless it is good to see the inclusion of the agricultural industry in this competition. It would be good to include some activity here, although this would have to be carefully placed so as not to upset the fine balance of the image.

This is a good gritty study of an industrial ruin. I like the circles that are repeated in the image and the warm tones that evoke a nostalgic past. Although this probably would have been a noisy and hot place to work.

After viewing many fine images, I think this is the winner for me. I like the simple lighting - only the welder's arc has lit the image, along with a hint of side lighting. The dark background eliminates any distracting elements, and our focus is drawn to where the operator is looking. The lighting has produced a simple and dramatic image.

An intriguing image, and I'm not sure if it isn't two images combined together, as the operator appears to be looking in the wrong direction. It's an unusual device to combine rich saturated colour with black and white, but it does show the exacting nature of high tech industry.

Eerie colours give this image of an industrial ruin a surreal look. The lonely figure in the sentry box indicates that there is still value to the site. The tone and hues are superb and the diversity of colour here is very rewarding.

This is an apocalyptic vision of industry. However, not all industry is this dirty - for example, many high tech industries. Dramatic lighting and the plumes of smoke give this photo a daunting air. The shot is well exposed, and the time of day has been carefully chosen to aid the look. But as it is such a cliched image of industry, I give this only a commendation.

A beautiful sunset-lit sky gives this image drama and amazing colours. The reflection works very well and the balance of the image is good.

As a comment on the recent devastating floods in Southern England this is an interesting image. I've not seen a windmill like this before. The tones are good, and the placement of the subject in the frame is perfect.

Another Richard Rogers building, and one whose industry is money. I like the mechanistic quality of this image, looking at the underbelly of this wonderful building.

This is perhaps the future of manufacturing - the absence of any operators as these gleaming steel cars are put together. It shows a very clean image of industry, never mind the fact that these cars will end up choking our cities. The blur of robot arms works well, and the shower of sparks is well placed in the left-hand third of the image.

This is a good image of an operation which is hidden from modern travellers. I would like to have seen more of the aircraft. I realise that this is a tight composition, but some foreground would have given the image another dimension, perhaps with an operator in shot.

A superbly framed image of a steel worker that leads you into the frame with the curved sweep of the object. The colours are good and are typical of what I have seen in the steel industry. I am a little concerned that the operator is not looking at what he is doing, and I think that is the one thing that prevents this one from being the winner.

This is not an industrial edifice, as I think it's Renzo Piano and Richard Roger's Pompidou Centre in Paris, but it does have an industrial aesthetic. I'm not sure it needs the HDR treatment, though.

Workers in Asian cities employ very different safety methods to those in the West, which is evident in this image. Wait for the right moment when shooting this scene, as the workers move around the deck. Crop out unwanted operators, like the one on the far right, to focus attention on the central action.

Studies of industry tools from days gone by are very rewarding. Colours like the ones in this photo lend a warmth and homeliness to the image. This is a good start, and perhaps studies of some of the individual tools will reveal their careworn qualities.

I like this gritty image - a bit cliched but industrial ruins are very photogenic. Good balance and texture make this an interesting picture.

A fascinating subject - I think it's a clothing factory in Asia. I like the fabric draped from the ceiling and the light playing on it. The division of the image into two definite areas - monochromatic fabric on the top and vibrant colours on the bottom - is good. I would like to see a shot that gives the activity some order, as it's not clear what the workers are doing.

This is a well-balanced image that uses the rule of thirds and shows a man involved in his industry - it is one of the few images that showed people at work. It would benefit from removing the obscured worker on the right poking out from behind the timber column. A well-deserved third place.

This is an image with a lot of potential if you're brave enough to descend the slope and get close to what looks like a noxious substance being mined. Getting closer would give the viewer a real sense of the work being done here.