Textures in Black and White

Although captured from a distance, the marks and ridges on the land are still clear and create a strong impression of the textures of the ground. A lovely abstract with simple lines and patterns, but composition is strong with the main line snaking across the diagonal. The square crop suits the subject and the black and white conversion has been well executed. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

This image is all about the feel, touch and textures, both in the actual subject and the capture of the textures of the wet clay and the pot being created. The highlights on the wet clay on the hands really help to convey how it would actually feel to the touch, and the slight warp on the rim of the pot clearly shows the pliability and flexibility of the material. There is just enough of the potter captured in tbe image to give context. Shooting the image at an angle adds a dynamic to the shot - shooting on an angle does not always work, but here I think it does. Congratulations on your third place finish.

A wonderful animal portrait image, full of varying textures of llama. The image is well lit, with lighting looking to come from several sources from behind and the front. The backlighting reveals the fine hairs around the head and neck, with the rest of the face and neck on the side of the camera showing lovely detail. I especially like the upper lip and nose area, which looks like it would be velvety soft to the touch. Congratulations on your second place finish.

Capturing this fine bird in profile, against the black background, has created a strong and eye-catching image. The textural detail of the soft wet feathers has been well captured, with good detail which has not been over-sharpened. Conversion to black and white has been done very successfully with a full range of tones from black through to white. Great work, well done on your top ten placing.

A perfect choice of subject in a textures contest, as the gorgeous textures is what this image is all about. It actually brings a smile to my face just imagining running my fingers through the deep wooly curls of fur on display. There is no obvious focal point, but I don't think that matters, as it creates an abstract image, and there is enough variation in tones to create interest and hold the eye. Very well focused, and control of the exposure has allowed good depth within the image, separating each individual curl and preventing the image looking flat. Congratulations on your winning image.

There were quite a number of entries of dandelion seed heads in this contest, but this was one of only a few which successfully managed to convey the texture and visually describe how the subject would actually feel to the touch, rather than just being a photo of a seed head. I think your use of focus stacking has helped here, as much of the subject is in sharp focus, whilst retaining a delicate softness, and there is good depth to the shot. I really like the off-centre composition too. Well done on your top ten placing.

A simple subject, but a range of different textures on display, from the rough surface of the wooden table top, the tendons and skin creases on the hands and the fabric of the workwear. Your composition works well, with the line of the table and the workers arms on opposing diagonals. A natural looking image with no over-processing. Well done on your top ten placing.

A perfect subject choice for this contest, the image is full of textures which look to very accurately show how this boot would feel to the touch. I like the close-in crop as it allows full focus onto the subject and the image is well composed. Good control of the light has created depth within the image, and most importantly allowed the small fibres within the laces, the stitching and the nap of the suede to be clearly visible. Well done on your top ten placing.

A simple choice of subject, which has been well captured to fully reveal the textures of these balls of yarn, both in the individual strands and the squishiness of the entire ball. Composition is good with the balls carefully positioned, and the use of a relatively wide aperture has created an appealing depth of field, with the yarn further behind nicely our of focus. I am undecided whether the image would have been even better if the main balls of yarn had been different colours, which when converted to black and white could have produced more tonal variation. Still a strong image, one which I like a lot. Well done on your top ten placing