We are family

This is a very touching moment as a proud father walks on to the pitch with his child after a gruelling game. The black and white conversion is done well and the vignetting draws the eyes into the centre of the picture. As a critism, I think the photographer would have done better if they had shot it as a portrait rather than a landscape as i would have liked to seen more of the child and less empty space on the right hand side of the image.

I love this image, which perfectly captures the touching moment between the children being reunited with their father after long time apart. You can really see the joy in this sailor's face at being home at last with the people he loves. It has good composition and perfect depth of field and it would have scored higher, except I would have liked to have seen more work done to it in post. The colours are not quite right as I feel they are over saturated which you can really see in the skin tones. I think it would have been a much stronger image if it had been desaturated or was black and white.

This hands and baby's feet shot is far from an original concept and i have seen it attempted many times over the last couple of years, but this has to be one of the best I've come across. It has excellent composition with the perfect positioning of the hands and feet and the control of that super soft lighting, which has been beautifully angled to pick up the texture of the skin. It also has just the right depth of field to keep your focus on the key elements of the shot, and it has been finished with a lovely soft black & white treatment. This is the work of a very skilled photographer who knows how to work with lighting, camera and post production and would have made it in to my top ten if the concept had been something new..

I'm not usually a fan of images taken from behind as I feel the story is found in the faces of people, but this image is one of the exceptions as it is the hands that tell the story. You can really feel the urgency in this little girl as she urges her father to follow, and I love the juxtaposition of the child's delicate hands grasping her father's thick strong fingers. To me this is a classic representation of the father-daughter relationship. The black & white conversion is perfect with the strong contrast and tonal range adding to the drama of the image, and the vignetting draws the eye to the hands in the centre of the image.

This is a great family shot capturing at least three generations perfectly. The image is very well composed with the contrast and tonal range being perfect for a black and white image. Each face tells a different story and makes you wonder at the event they are all gathered to watch. Looking closely you can see many pictures of the family inside the house, including an old framed photo of a beautiful young woman, which was perhaps the excited toothless grandmother many years ago. I love the way she is framed in the window of the door which slightly separates her from the rest of the group which then emphasises her joy against the rest of the family's ambivalence.

I really love the way this photographer has approached the concept of the family photo with this very Gothic scene. The clever use of framing and treatments has given it a neglected painting-like quality, which really reminds me of the work of the 19th century painter James Whistler. The muted tones of the window frame are also the perfect representation of a gilded frame from that era. Great styling of the models' clothes and the added touch of the period doll, clutched in the child's hands really makes the image pop. The 'spooky level' is off the chart with this image and I really don't want to know what the family is waiting for.

This is a very nice shot and I love the way the photographer has used the round port hole to frame this family setting. Being behind the window the family is completely unaware that they are being watched by the photographer, so are completely relaxed and natural. The black and white conversion has been done very well and the darker tone of the door allows the family to stand out quite nicely. My only criticism is that the photographer should have waited and taken a few more shots, as the mother's expression could have been better. If the mother was more engaged with her family, then the shot would have been perfect.

The composition on this image is sublime in its nonconformity and subtlety. The child sleeps comfortably while secure in its father's strong arms and is obviously the key focus of the image. However, it is positioned way off to the right, almost out of frame, but cleverly positioned so that your eye goes directly to the opposite corner of the image where you find the mother, back lit in the doorway. Her stance is relaxed and her shadow suggest she's perhaps on the phone. A dog's bowl is position just to the right of her suggesting another member of the family won't be to far away. The photographer has exposed the shot perfectly, retaining both detail in the highlights and in the shadows, which I know must have been difficult lighting conditions.

This is a very strong image which I really adore. This is not the usual idyllic scene of a family enjoying the seaside. The beach is strewn with rocks and debris, in the distance is what looks like an industrial complex and the photographer's excellent use of monochrome all give this image a powerfully bleak feel. However there is still beauty in this image, as the brother is clearly enjoying showing his sibling the water. My only criticism is that i would have removed the two rocks in the sea just above the pram as i find them a little distracting, though many will feel this adds to the bleakness of the seascape.

This is a very novel concept and has been very well produced. As modern families, we spend a lot of time together in our living rooms, sitting on sofas, usually watching TV.
By setting the sofa in an environment where it would not normally be, the photographer has cleverly taken this idea to the next level and has replaced the TV with this awesome rural scene for the family to enjoy. Much better than any 4k wide screen, for sure. The use of a battered old sofa works well with the bleakness of this winter vista, and the treatment and de-saturation of the greens has enhanced this even more.

This is a fun shot and I love the hands playfully coming into view from behind, and you if you look really closely, you can just see the father's face peering through the curtains. The black and white conversion is well done, though it could do with just a touch more contrast or the highlights brightening , just to add a little more drama to the image. I also would have liked to have seen the image cropped so the children were more central.

I love images which use a lot of space and this one works particularly well. The composition is well balanced and the cloud formations add a touch of drama to the image. The photographer should next time try shooting from a lower angle as this will help the reflections of the 3 people stand out more. It's perhaps not the right competition for this image as i was really looking for images which show what family is all about, and although I like this it doesn't really say "family" to me. It also would've scored higher, but it needed a bit more work done on it in post. Brightening the highlights would help the clouds stand out more and would increase the drama of the picture over all.

This is another very strong and dramatic black & white image, which I love. I really like the way the photographer has framed the family on the left leading them into the space on the right of the image, giving a sense of the journey the family is taking. It's an excellent black & white conversion with a great tonal range with just the right amount of contrast for my taste, but I wish the arm was not covering the mother's face. But perhaps this was the best frame the photographer could take of this stunning candid scene?

This is a very powerful image. The photographer has expertly captured a very touching moment between the mother and daughter. You can really feel the love and devotion between them after going through such a terrible ordeal. This image for me really captures the what i was looking for in a winner for the family competition. I love the way the photographer has made use of the dark background and the light which illuminates the faces and hands, which makes the subjects standout but has still managed to retained all the details in their black hair and embroidery of the shawl.

I really like this image. I love the treatment the photographer has given it in post, as the platinum print feel gives the image a very dream like quality. The blurring of the horizon and the foreground has emphasised the family group on the shoreline, and with the sun glinting off the sea it has becomes an idyllic family afternoon walk by the sea. The family's dog, enjoying itself as dogs do, also adds to the picture. I do however have a couple of criticisms. I think an attempt to straighten the horizon would have helped and I would have like to have seen a little separation between the three figures on the left. There are five people on that beach and I think the image would be stronger if we could see them all. Otherwise its a very lovely image.