Music

This shot was my overall favourite, and the one I couldn’t avoid awarding first place. It’s very simple, yet the moment was captured brilliantly and it has great energy and emotion that lets you feel as though you were there. Technically, I love the tight framing and the clear background. It really keeps your eye on the subject, brought to life by the halo of light behind the hair. The image is also very sharp, allowing you to see every detail: the sweat in the hair and the texture of the skin. Overall, this image will stand alone as a great shot in any context.

I like this wide angle shot, and I think the high contrast and slightly desaturated finish work well. The exposure has been well managed despite the erratic stage lighting, and the framing is pleasing to the eye. The stage clutter doesn’t create any major obstructions, and even the microphone doesn’t really obstruct your view of the singer and his guitar. I love the screen to the right too, offering a close-up, and the moment has been captured well for both the live show, and the video screen.

There’s a sense of nostalgia to this image. The viewpoint is good, and you would expect the crowd to be rocking out, considering the stance of the guitarist. I love the way that instead, the audience is being gently wooed by him with all eyes attentive on the act, and someone is even reaching out to touch the guitar. It’s really captured the moment and the atmosphere, and makes me wish I had been one of those people in the crowd. It’s just a touch dark in places, but this doesn’t distract your focus from the audience, which I think really makes this shot.

A great festival shot where the energy on stage, captured by the jump, transmits to the audience who all have their arms in the air. It’s been done well, but I’d like to see it in colour as I have the feeling it would exude a lot more energy and give you a proper sense of summer.

The wistful subtle tones of this image, her earthy-coloured dress and the mist, all cry out ‘folk’. It’s a well-framed portrait with shallow depth of focus on the woman, who’s off-centre, and with good use of the fence to lead your eye into the shot. It looks both dated and timeless, which I guess makes this a classic and worthy of appreciation.

I love the warm light, the colours and the emotion in this beautiful shot, which all lend themselves well to the instrument being played. My only niggle is that I would like to have seen sharper focus on the face.

Although the effect used on this image isn’t to my personal taste, I love the way the man in the foreground with the euphonium captivates your attention with his strong glare straight to camera. The central framing adds to this, making the subject and the whole image very strong. Although I’m reluctant to deviate from his eyes, when I do the softer focus background gives a sense of atmosphere and occasion, and really adds to the richness of this image.

This image captures the atmosphere well, and I like all the individual moments apparent here. I especially like the interaction of the two people in the foreground, while the attention of the musicians at the back is on the audience. It’s really well done that so much is happening here, yet the image is still clean and captivating.

I think that the rich red lighting, the outfit and that one eye that’s staring at you and holding your attention all really give you a sense of the artist and the music. You don’t even have to see the plectrums all lined up in the microphone stand to know that there’s been a guitar thrashing just off camera. And the low view-point also makes the act look powerful, even overpowering, which is a perfect depiction.

There's a lovely catch of light on the hand in this shot that takes you into the sound of the plucked strings. There was just something, whether the framing or lack of emotion in the face, or the shoulder falling into darkness, that left this image off the ratings, but it was very close.

I really warmed to this image. It’s a moment nicely captured: the man on his own listening to his music. It’s a moment we can all relate to. Yet his solitude is slightly juxtaposed by the reflections in the window, which make you realise that the man isn’t alone at all, just alone in the moment. It gives the image a slightly solemn yet surreal edge. I also like that it evokes all sorts of emotions.

This is a lovely still life detail shot, and I like the framing. The crafted shapes of the instruments and their repetitive elements make it a really atmospheric image. And I also agree that this image is best in black and white.

The rich tones, perfect exposure (it’s really nice that the faces aren’t overexposed) and grandeur of the location housing the choir and orchestra culminate in a very striking image. Unfortunately, the conductor, who is the leader of this whole ensemble, is obstructed by heads in the foreground.

I was at this gig, and I think the atmosphere and the energy of the show has been captured really well here with all its bright colours and chaos. The spotlight on the singer really takes your eye into the subject, and his stance with the loudspeaker keeps you there.

There’s a fantastic use of light in this image, creating these rich and bold colours. I love the moment that was captured - it’s both strong and soulful - and I love the clear black background because it keeps all your attention on the subject. The only thing that prevents this image creeping higher up my ratings is the point of focus, which would be best on the face rather than on the foreground hand.

I do like this image. It’s a beautiful moment with the child just looking away from the piano briefly, yet the concentration is still there. I like the mother’s hand on the child’s and the point of light in the child’s eye. The rich tones, shallow depth of field and soft light make it delicately emotive. It would have been lovely if the image was captured with a point of focus on the child’s eyes, but sadly none of it is very sharp, so this is something to work on.

An iconic guitarist’s stance has been captured here, but the very limited lighting - with most of the act falling into shadows - doesn’t quite engage with me enough. It is a great effort, but if there were enough backlight for a full silhouette, or even enough light to see his expression, it might just grab my attention a little bit more.

There's fantastic energy in this shot, and I like the interaction between the singer and the fan who’s crowd-surfing. It’s just that I’d feel more engaged with the shot if the singer's eyes were open and fixed on the fan.

A nice portrait of a musician where the tight crop on his face draws you into the image, and you get a sense of soulful music.