Steps and stairs

This is a very beautiful and evocative image. It reminds me of the work of the Italian photographer Luigi Ghirri, although he worked primarily in colour. The intensity of the grain/pixels make the photograph feel very dreamlike and mysterious. The choice of a low angle of shooting is also very successful.

The red intensity of this photograph is wonderful, the staircase almost looks on fire. The abstraction of the composition is very strong, we have enough information from the image to imagine the rest of the space, less is definitely more. A strong and confident composition.

I love the complexity of the shadows and lines in this photograph. Its interesting that it only works as an image by being shot from above, the shadows and geometry on the floor wouldn't have the same power photographed on floor level. The addition of the cyclist is perfect, giving scale and texture to the image.

I love the filmic narrative of this photograph. The shadows are very dramatic and suggest a slight sense of menace, thorough their overwhelming presence within the composition. My only suggestion would be to crop the shelf (?) at the top of the frame, which disturbs the compostion, and stops it feeling so complete.

I love the compostion and title of this photograph - The Unknown. The dramatic composition is wonderful and the sense of movement and power of the water is really compelling. I feel like i'm standing on the edge; its gives a very vertiginous effect. Fantastic!

This super minimal photograph has a very strong composition and elegance within it. I love the strenght of the handrail and shadows in what could only be a British seaside resort! There is a crispness to the depth of field and focus within the image that is beautifully evocative.

This photograph has a wonderful glow, it looks like late afternoon light. The composition is perfectly framed - the verticals are all straight and the horizontality of the steps has no distortion; I was surprised to see it had been shot by an iPhone! I also think the photographers decision to crop the top of the building was correct, the photograph is all about the light and strong directional lines.

This is a simple but accomplished compostion. The minimal nature of the staircase and handrail is perfectly captured. The addition of the figure running out of shot balances the composition and gives an interesting weight to the density of the photograph.

I love the drama of this photograph, the light and shadow give the photograph an incredible intensity. The high contrast and square format is reminiscent of 1960s documentary photography, particularly the work of Garry Winogrand. A fantastic, strong, powerful image!

This photograph shows excellent observation of light and awareness of geometry. I love the fact the photographer has reduced all the information to the bare minimum, allowing the audience to focus just on the light and steps. A strong confident composition.

The strong red colour of this photograph caught my attention (obviously!) but the inclusion of the figure taking a selfie takes the image to another level. My only comment about the composition would be that the photographer would have benefited from looking more closely at the edges of the frame and cropped out the red detail on the left and the next handrail on the right. This tightening would have helped the composition.

I find this photograph wonderfully disorientating. Obviously I understand what i'm looking at but the composition is so strong that the image draws me into the water in the centre. Also that fact that the water is so still is compelling, its like a mirror. A wonderful image.

I chose this as the winning image because of its simplicity and elegant composition. I love the muted colour palette and the subtlety of the diving board's reflection in the water. It was a more innovative response to the competition brief, which is always refresing to see. It also reminds me of the work of Richard Misrach, particularly the series he made in Cape Cod.

The long exposure captured within this photograph creates a mysterious and beautiful result. The swirling effect of the light and movement of the water makes the photograph feel very powerful. I applaud the photographers choice not to shoot in 'good light' or sunshine, which would have reduced the effect of the long exposure and inturn the power of this beautiful image.

This photograph made me smile. I didn't notice the pigeon (?) at first but I was drawn to the dramatic yellow staircase. The composition and space within the photograph is well executed and the choice not to make the staircase in the centre of the frame is the correct one. The addition of the pigeon really just makes the image!

I love the drama of this image and the sense of narrative it conveys. The staircase is just waiting for some kind of drama to happen, or its the site of filmic moment, wonderful. I'm not sure if the photographer staged or constructed the stair and the lighting, but thats irrelevant, its a strong and successful image.

The abstraction of this image is wonderful. I'm not entirely sure what i'm looking at (yes, I know its a staircase) but the decontextualised nature of the image works very well. The decision to reduce all extraneous information within the image is sucessful, making the audience focus on just lines and grey tones.

This photograph has a very surreal and somewhat spooky aesthetic. The lighting and dramatic perspective give the feeling of a stage set rather than a real location. The colour palette reminds me of the work of Thomas Weinberger, who also uses surreal, over exposed skies etc. A strong and confident compostion and excellent use of colour.