Strangers in the street

The intensity of the boy's stare and his blank expression grab and hold our attention, as he sits between his travelling companions. The composition works well, with both women looking out of the frame our interest is never far the main subject. The 'street' is a popular photographic genre and of course does not mean the picture has to be literally taken in the street or show the street. For me, this perfectly captures strangers and the street.

The strength of this picture lies in the repeating pattern of the women and their black clothing. The small boy and his sad expression jump out from the dark background and with a strong compositional position this creates an arresting image.

Strangers on buses and trains make great subjects for street photography. They provide a great documentary record of time, place, fashion and so much more. This picture stood out for me because of the quality of the light and the way our subject's plaintive upward stare is captured as the rain falls.

Candid photography of strangers allows us to authentically document the 'here and now', which will quickly become the 'there and then'. The style and crop of this image suggests it was shot from the hip and the low viewpoint adds a dynamic urgency to the scene. Our subject's light coloured hair, face and hand stand out against the dark background, giving us an easily assimilated visual statement.

This picture tells us so much about our times, fashion and behaviour in public. It is common to see groups of young women dressing up and celebrating special events and you have captured a humorous moment as one them gets into a tangle with her shoes. A great example of strangers in the street.

I love the powerful graphic simplicity of this street scene. The whole image is bright, which perfectly suits the dark clothing of our two strangers who are positioned so as to create a terrific leading line that uses the architectural geometry to great effect.

Your composition and considered use of shutter speed has delivered a very strong image. The static figure anchors the composition whilst we explore the links with the three more abstract, moving figures. I particularly enjoy the apparent curiosity of the man as he stares towards the camera. Great technique and a very pleasing result.

This picture exudes warm charm, as the old man feeds the pigeons outside the church. The scaling and use of colour in your composition is very effective, as is the distribution and movement of the birds. All the birds are seen quite distinctly without overlapping groups and this certainly adds to the overall result.

Juxtaposition is the basis of many successful street pictures and has been used to great effect in this picture. We are invited to draw our own conclusions about the link between the shop sign and the people resting on the bench. The gentle humour is well observed and black and white gives the image a timeless feel.

A beautiful image that has a touch of the National Geographic about it. The powerful graphic design and warm colours provide a great canvas for your composition. Your viewpoint has perfectly captured the boy's quirky gesture as he lies his head on the wall; I love the compositional link with the sitting figure.

Re-enactments and film sets are popular photographic subjects and whilst there is always a concern that the photographer's input has been lessened by the contribution of the set-up, I feel this image has a very genuine feel. The dynamic of a street scene has been retained whilst evoking times past. As an Oxford resident I have often wondered how the city looked in the past and this picture allows me to stand in a very familiar spot 'see it'.

A hugely enjoyable picture and one in which I would have loved to have learned more about the circumstances and location. Sadly, whilst fulfilling the brief of photographing a stranger I felt the location was far too rural to be considered 'street', even in the broadest interpretation. Nevertheless I am sure it will do well in other competitions.

I am afraid your picture was rejected because it was not on brief. Please read the brief carefully and take care when uploading images. This competition was about capturing street scenes with strangers in the street. In photography the term 'street' describes a genre and style of photography, which goes beyond a literal picture of a street. Good luck in future competitions.

I am afraid your picture was rejected because it was not on brief. Please read the brief carefully and take care when uploading images. This competition was about capturing street scenes with strangers in the street. In photography the term 'street' describes a genre and style of photography, which goes beyond a literal picture of a street. Cats can feature in street photography, but in this case we were looking for people. Good luck in future competitions.

I am afraid your picture was rejected because it was not on brief. Please read the brief carefully and take care when uploading images. This competition was about capturing street scenes with strangers in the street. In photography the term 'street' describes a genre and style of photography, which goes beyond a literal picture of a street, but I am afraid it does not stretch to tigers! Good luck in future competitions.