Textures in black & white

An image with similar tone and feel to the winning image, although the subject could hardly be more different!! Excellent view point, shot at rhino eye-level, a perfect profile shot of this magnificent beast. I am sure this is an image which works best in black & white, as the pattern of lines and wrinkles is not hidden by potentially distracting colour. You have a full range of tones from black to white, which clearly shows every line, crease and skin fold. Great focusing too. I have never touched a rhino (and I have no immediate plans to do so) but through your image I have no doubt how it would feel if I did! Congratulations on your second place.

What a lovely image of this majestic flamingo. You have done really well in conveying the plump softness of the feathers, and for a birds with such striking colour, it was a bold decision to convert to black & white, although it works well, and colour may have been a distraction from the lovely feathery textures. Ideally the bird would have been posing with its bill fully in view, so we could see its entire curve and hooked end, but posing a flamingo is not within the domain of most photographers, so you have made the best of what was before you! Well controlled highlights, just managing to avoid loss of detail in the brightest parts. A lovely, calm, gentle image, well done.

There is something I find quite captivating about this image. It is one I could see possibly being passed over by the Crowd raters, but for me it is a very strong shot, which deserves its placing. I have no doubt how this scene would feel to the touch if I were there, so you have successfully conveyed those realistic textures through your image. I imagine the lighting for this shot was quite challenging too, as you are shooting through the shade of the hessian curtain to the brightness outside. This is a fine example of an image that proves the subject does not need to be especially exciting to make a great shot - it is the photographers vision and understanding of the potential which creates success. Great work.

A lot of images in this contest showed great patterns, but here you have been very successful in capturing both the patterns and the textures, which is what this contest was all about. Through your skill with the camera and in post processing, you have managed to make a humble cabbage look really quite beautiful! Composition, focusing, exposure and conversion to black & white have all been done very well. The lighting gives the subject a three dimensional depth, but the real success in this "textures" contest is your ability to convey that smooth, cool, squeaky feeling that cabbage has. Great image, well done on your top three placing.

There were quite a number of great landscape images entered into this contest, but this one stood out for me, as through your capture of the scene it is very obvious what the subject is, and therefore there is no doubt how it would feel to the touch. Classically composed, with the horizon on the top third line, a snaking lead in line across the crest of the dune, and the strong diagonals of the ridges and dips in the lower half of the image. Great black & white conversion, with excellent control over the shadows and highlights, which emphasises the textural differences between the soft loose sand on the slip face, and the ripples shaped by the elements. Simple, but beautiful. Well done.

You have found a great subject to enter into a textures contest! It can be difficult when faced with a subject such as this to know how to compose the shot to enable it to retain the viewers interest. I think you have succeeded with that, as there is enough details and textures to explore in this leathery, wrinkly skin to hold the gaze. Great lighting has picked out both the finer and deeper creases, which gives depth to the image and makes it very touchable! Well done.

What a fabulous portrait of an equally fabulous sheep! The perfect subject for this contest, and a superbly executed image. The use of the low key lighting effect has emphasised the textures, and there is excellent control over the highlights and shadows - there was risk of the light area on the top of the nose blowing out and loosing detail, but this has been avoided. I really like the rim of light around the ears which shows off both their shape and soft texture. The real success though has to be in your capture of the texture of that wonderfully curly wool - looking thick, soft and very touchable!. A well deserved winning image, congratulations.

This is a beautiful image of a collard dove, which has really illustrates the textures and plump softness of the bird. I like the inclusion of the rough wooden post along with protruding nails, as that provides a complete contrast in textures to the bird. The choice of a fairly wide aperture has enabled to background to become nicely out of focus, so it does not distract in any way, but retains just enough detail to look realistic and not look like an applied backdrop. The black & white conversion has been sympathetically done, keeping the subject detailed yet soft, with no harsh shadows or highlights. Central compositions do not always work, but the shot seems well balanced. Lovely image, well done.

I quite surprised myself by placing so many images of animals in this contest, but this is another wonderful wildlife shot that deserves a place in my top ten. I love the highly contrasting tones from black through to white, and the detail you have been able to capture is superb. Your angle of view is spot on, slightly beneath the level of the creature, and in perfect profile, enabling all those little spiny bumps along the ridge of its back and tummy to give further detail to the image. The shape and textures of the branch further add to the image. I am not sure I really want to touch, but I can imagine just how it would feel if I did! Well done.