Patterns & textures

I like the three-dimensional aspect of this image. The composition is good with the weathered wooden posts leading the eye to the other monoliths that we know are huge in scale, but the distance and perspective has compressed them into quite a two-dimensional pattern. At first glance the posts look like gravestones and they continue to have that feel even when we know what they are, and the long exposure has smoothed the texture of the water, creating an other-worldly look. My only thought is that as nice as the sunset is, I would have cropped it off (and an equal amount on the other side) to make a more graphic composition.

Fleur has created this beautiful self-contained pattern 'tile' using natural objects and at first glance it looks arranged by hand, but on closer inspection it seems she has done some careful step and repeat in photoshop but it's very difficult to tell how! The muted palette works really well and I like the quirky signature little insect/animal on the bottom left. A beautifully executed arrangement.

This is a dynamic shot of a sort of grille in front of a building with the added interest of the shadows and reflections. A good angle of view and composition kept my eye roving across the image finding something in every area to keep me interested. Black and white was a good choice to keep the focus on pattern and shape. Viewed at larger size there is a further texture across the window - I'm not sure if its weather water dribbles or a curtain inside, it doesnt distract but there are a couple of bright spots and anomalies in the grille that could be taken out to clean this very graphic image. A great response to the brief.

This is another image where contours are referring back to natural forms causing it to acquire a monumental quality. We quickly realise it is layers of man-made surfaces, but it's still intriguing how the stacking of these sheets forms all the stepping and shapes which hint at jigsaw pieces. I am not sure the white at the bottom works so well - perhaps a deep tone would lead us down further. I find the the bits in the white area are a bit distracting. They appear to suggest we are looking up into something. It might be worth experimenting with dropping something into this space and seeing what the effect is.

There's plenty to look at in this image - it's the sort of image that needs to be enlarged to see all the detail. The pattern is full of rhythm and texture due to the irregular angles the fish are laid in, and the darker toned ones dotted in amongst the silvery ones. The overhead angle creates the graphic pattern, but the perspective gives it more drama. I think the image would benefit from a tighter crop across the top and left to lose the net on the edges. In fact, it works well as a more panoramic shape.

I really like the muted palette and angle of view of this image, which along with the flat light creates a painterly quality and wonderful surface pattern. There is texture everywhere, in the fantastic weathering on the boats, the seaweed and in the sand, the more you look the more you find. And there is dynamism, created by the composition with the boats facing in opposite directions, causing the eye to come back and forth across the image, aided by the ropes.

A great abstract image with lots of rhythm and interest, evoking natural strata, but a closer look reveals it is some sort of man-made material. Flat light and straight-on viewpoint help the pattern and the colours are nicely randomly distributed – it looks like a piece of modern art that should be in the Tate!

The curves of the horizontal lines contrast well with the straight vertical lines in this shot. It's nicely framed, but I reckon you could just straighten the perspective to make it really graphic on the sides and make sure the corners match in size. It's important to get these details right, because they stand out more when there is a lot of repetition.

There's texture everywhere you look in this image, and the flat light inside makes it quite painterly. This is a good conceptual image. Man has abandoned the building, leaving his signature bottle, and nature is outside waiting to come in and reclaim it… it's an interesting juxtaposition. The texture and colour outside the window contrast well with the inside, although there is a lack of perspective outside and it flips between looking like a painting on the wall and a window.

This depiction of twisted roots has texture and pattern in the subject matter and also in the composition. I love the way the roots have an anthropomorphic appearance - resembling human forms – in that they look like arms and legs wrapped around each other and give the image an intimate feel. The use of post-production techniques adds to the abstract quality as does the desaturated colour.

I have no idea what this image depicts, but what a wonderful abstract it is. Rich in colour and texture and very painterly… I wonder if some painterly effects have been used? Although I don’t think it matters because it's not obvious. I’m pleased to include a really abstract image.

I love the way this spiral leads us from the dark to the beautiful glowing circle of light, and the vibrant colours get warmer on the way up. It’s a lovely curl and I might have liked to see more of it on the left. The little bit in the bottom right is a bit distracting.

A monumental sensuous man-made form intersected by a severe triangle, and all leading upwards to the sky - it's powerful stuff. Looking carefully I can just see through the woven fabric to some struts above. Black and white was a good choice and the tones have been well handled. The viewpoint is well chosen and the composition is good.

This image is so wonderfully symmetrical that there must be some photoshoppery involved! But maybe not… it doesn’t matter, because it it so beautifully framed and composed that it has a spiritual quality, and not just because of the subject matter. Knowingly or not, Oliver has created a mandala, which is a symbolic shape representing wholeness, often used for meditation and I find this image powerful for this reason. Some use of HDR software has lightened the tones of the interior stonework, but this is the way that it has become a pattern and taken it away from reality, though we can see every detail is a physical part of the building. I have no hesitation in awarding this image the first place in my selections.

This is nicely composed image of this lovely fossil spiral with lots of texture in the partitions and a good tonal range. I think it feels like the camera is not quite on the same plane as the surface - though that could be an optical illusion - but it doesn't appear quite sharp in the middle.