Streetscapes

When I'm reviewing entries to contests, I always judge 'blind' ... I don't look at the progress on the crowd vote or try to identify the photographers because I believe all entries should be anonymous ... So, I have no idea who created this fantastic representation of Times Square at night but it really brought the place to life for me. The colours are superbly rendered, the image is crisp. It immediately grabbed my attention and then held my attention because there is so much detail to explore. This a visual feast and a hugely worthy winner ... Many congratulations and ... here's another first: After I'd decided on my final placings, I checked the progresss on the crowd vote and it looks as though this composition may turn out to be a double winner. I hope so. It is truly outstanding!

This atmospheric streetscape makes my Top Ten because it conveys such a strong sense of place. For me, it captures the essence of quiet evenings in the medieval hearts of our old university or cathedral cities. These places are our national treasures and this understated composition captures that quality so well. There is nothing showy here and maybe that's why these historic places attract so many visitors from around the world ... and Ely has its own unique appeal. Well done!

I love this detached, perfectly processed and cleverly framed composition. It speaks volumes about this poor neighbourhood in Havana. The shot selection adds to the documentary strength of the image and the child highlighted in the doorway against the harsh shadow somehow makes the street both private and accessible. There is an image taken by Cartier Bresson in (I think) one of the Greek islands where he plays with a fleeting figure through harsh shadow in a simple street. This composition evokes the same kind of response in me. Maybe that's why it has been among my Top Ten from the start. Deceptively simple and highly effective. Thank you.

Third Place! ... I have no hesitation about that at all. This deceptively simple composition could be too easily overlooked because this streetscape could be almost anywhere ... but that is exactly the point. This contest was not confined to 'famous' streets or well known places and I would guess that in, say, fifty years time these would be the kind of documentary images that people would look at nostalgically because these are the streets where they lived ... but first pause and look into this image again. It is not all stillness and symetrical order. There is movement here and what are the piles of metal and what is the partly roofed structure with a gate? More here than meets the eye ... but I really love the overall sense of compelling quiet. Excellent work!

On the streets where we live ... Right place, right time, right light and most streets present us with opportunities to transfom the everyday and the commonplace into great streetscapes. If nothing else, I've certainly learned that much from judging the overwhelming quality of images submitted to this contest ... Every street, any street can be a winner if the technique is there and this image is most certainly a winner for me. I really liked the treatment of the colours presented by the breaking light. The rain gloss and reflections on the curving path draw the eye in really well and, although I'm not a fan of digital frames, I think it works here. The strong lines and the colour made this composition stand out for me. Well done. A very commendable sixth place.

This shot really works for me. This is what streetscapes are all about. It is technically very well composed with great shot selection using the reflections in the puddle to enhance the scene. The woman passing by may have been a fortunate accident but she completes the composition and gives it life. A different angle to her body and different colour clothes would not have worked so well and the red 'stop' sign might have seemed out of place without the counterbalancing central and reflected reds of the figure and the curtains in the shack. Perfect! This compositon tells me so much about this back street in Barbados and that fits the brief perfectly. Excellent work. Thank you ... My Silver Medallist!