Statues and monuments

A stunning image, full of technical craft and unique framing, alongside an eye-catching use of colour. There's a mix of stillness and motion, activity and inactivity, and order and chaos that almost splits this image in half. We've also seen plenty of images of this particular statue, but this one used the surroundings in impressive fashion, and took into account the motion of the water and clouds to great effect. A triumph of a number of very, very difficult techniques and a superbly artistic eye.

Silhouette and sunlight go together perfectly, if the right subject and framing is chosen. Patience and timing are required, alongside an ability to accurately frame in limited light. The photographer's eye is spot-on, placing the sun at the centre point and using the dome to frame around it. The colour around the outside and the vignette add to the feel of the scene, giving an ethereal glow alongside the harsh, clear shadows. The contrast of this image is the winning factor, and makes for an eye-catching end result.

Shadow and light are so important to photography when a static subject is involved, as patience, timing and research can make or break your image. This is an excellent example of using the available light to make the scene more dramatic and eye-catching, allowing the sky and ground to emphasise and complement the statue. The colours are another triumph, as the subtlety breathes life into an otherwise tonally dark image, and the trees extending into the image resemble fingers, grasping at the cross.

Proof that a statue needn't always be shot like a landscape image, as this portrait-style shot shows. The unusual orientation of the statues and sharp focus on the foreground makes this image stand out from a number of others, and proves how a touch of creativity can make an image stand out all the more. The amount of mid-tone throughout this image is tricky to negotiate, as it could ruin all contrast leaving a grey mess, but the photographer is skilled enough to negotiate the traditional pitfalls with ease.

A well framed image with an interesting subject, but could have benefitted from a longer shutter speed to get some cloud movement, and perhaps a lower, wider angle to make it more dramatic. You've certainly got a good eye and can compose a shot extremely well, I'd just experiment a bit more with your subject as you've clearly got the basics down pat. Try an early start to incorporate a sunrise, or just before sunset when the light gets orange. Nice work though, well done!

Using a slow shutter speed to capture crowd movement isn't a new technique, but it does take time to perfect and make relevant to the surrounding area. This image represents a superb combination of motion and stillness, while also using the crowds that so many photographers try to avoid. The flapping flaps and moving clouds are a happy off-shoot of this, making the monument the focal point from a sharpness and narrative point of view. A triumph, and a great use of space.

Was this an in-camera HDR effect? If it was I'd probably avoid using it in the future. The sharpening works in the foreground, but it's emphasised the over-exposure in the skyline where you probably would have gotten away with it otherwise. It's well composed and framed, but I'd recommend getting to know your manual settings a bit more. You picked a day that would have been difficult for an experienced photographer to balance, so I'd either get a circular polariser filter or wait until you've got a more manageable level of contrast.