Your important place

This is a very sophisticated and engaging photograph that works on many levels. The idea of the frame within a frame is very well observed and the shadow introduces the presence of the photographer, visually, in a subtle way that doesn’t dominate the image. The content of the frame within the frame may establish a view that isn't totally relevant to the brief, but this is a photograph that does conjure a strong sense of being in a place. Light, shadow, space and surface combine to create a very well composed and intriguing image. At first sight the two seemingly overlapping rectangles of image and light suggest cinema projection and their conjunction creates a momentary confusion between foreground and background. There is a lot to look at and think about here.

The subject of the photograph clearly fits the brief well to the point of perhaps appearing rather too obvious. However, the appearance of the forum in snow creates a more unexpected and engaging image. The angled arrangement, within the centre of frame, of the columned structures gives the image a strong sense of order and cohesion and accentuates the depth of the scene. The empty and rather austere nature of the photograph make it all the more compelling. The photograph is perhaps just a little too wide and the edges of frame a little awkward.

The simultaneous simplicity and complexity of this image is what makes it intriguing. In essence it is a very simple representation of a place expressed through nature itself - through light and the colours and textures of the plants and trees. The confusion of the reflection accentuates these qualities and sensibilities very well. The result is a photograph that holds the gaze and which remains open for the viewer. An interesting image, even if it didn't fully fit the brief for us.

This photograph represents the idea of place in a very engaging and intriguing way. It has a sense of intimacy and mystery about it that is compelling. This is created by the muted light – and the isolated highlights on the banister and door. The light on the banister accentuates the texture of the wood in an understatedly expressive way that alludes to the missing human presence. The composition, within which the banister connects the top and bottom of frame, is very effective and contributes to an inference of potential narrative. Thus the image allows space for the viewer’s individual interpretation of its content. In its own quiet way, this is a very powerful photograph.

The content of this photograph is rich and it is engaging as a documentary image about place and people. The gestures of the children in front of the train also make the image potentially strange and compelling. The image should describe place and the community very articulately and affectingly, but for us its mannered aesthetic undermines its power. The partial desaturation of the image and the HDR look (if that's what it is) are surely not necessary. The pure photographic nature of the image is what should be accentuated here. The varied textures and surfaces of this place and its people were surely strong enough.

On one level this might appear as quite a simple photograph, but it does evoke a particular sense of place in relation to time. Visually the image frames its few component parts very effectively to allude to a sense of history or trace of the past. The image works too in a more abstract way, in terms of angles and colour. The door and key introduce a sense of narrative – the detail of the hanging label even hinting at notions of institutional order and control. It must be said that the angle at which the photograph was taken is odd, or at least questioning, as it is too low to be interpreted as an expected point-of-view – except, perhaps that of a child. This is both an eloquent and open photograph.

This photograph has a strong formal arrangement that creates two vanishing points. The light is used well to accentuate the texture of the brick. Black and white would seem appropriate to the atmosphere of the photograph and the level of tone and contrast is well judged. The inclusion of the figure in the distance creates a sense of depth and scale that helps articulate a sense of place in more directly human terms. The wealth of detail allows the viewer to extend her/his contemplation of the photograph.

This is a very playful image that successfully interprets the brief in an unusual way. The result is a description of interior space that is very textural and colourful. The sense of energy and chaos is inventively expressed. The high angle is employed with great purpose and the resulting image appears to flatten the space and the objects within it to create quite a painterly photograph. The girl obviously dominates the frame and the sense of her domain and her possessions is communicated in a striking and touching way. The appearance of the feet in the foreground is a nice touch that indicates a connection between the photographer and her/his subject.

This photograph successfully centres on people in its expression of place. The image conveys a strong sense of continuity and community through the visual organisation of its elements. The frame is neatly divided into three vertical sections, using the exterior framework of the barber's shop in a way reminiscent of a photograph by H. Cartier-Bresson. The moment is well caught too. The colours and textures of the various objects and surfaces add to the compelling aesthetic qualities of the image. This, to us, reads as an image taken by someone with an affinity with the people, the place and what it represents.

This is quite an affecting portrait that appears unforced and simple. The location, as an important place, is given some significance through the presence of the decorations that are hung around the roof of the bus interior. The light is good and the hint of the exterior space makes the image that bit more convincing. The gaze to camera creates a very strong image, and although this may not be the most complex or technically perfect photograph - or one that answers the brief most fully - it does articulate a very personal and particular sense of time and place.

We thought this was certainly a strong image which is very deliberately composed and technically very good, with the emphasis of sharp focus in the foreground purposefully accentuating the depth of the image. However, we are personally worried about images that over-aestheticize a place such as Auschwitz and what it represents in terms of the horrors of twentieth century history. For us, the formal emphasis of the image - centred so particularly on the railway tracks and the converging rails - actually gets in the way of remembering what happened in this place.

This photograph certainly meets the brief in that it is clearly an important place for the occupier of this greenhouse. The worn red chair, the piece of carpet, the glasses and the waving cat all give the place a very personal feel. However, the image feels a bit too wide and the roof structure feels a little over-emphasized, detracting from the elements that are trying to give this image a personal quality. The view-point is also a bit odd in the context of the idea, being straight out the door - out of the place. But there there is something about the matter-of-factness of the photograph that is also interesting.

We loved the colour and texture of this image. The reds and oranges and all the colours in between make this a very painterly image. The texture of the peeling paint, combined with the screw heads and rivets make this a very sensual and tactile photograph. However, we felt it needed another element to really meet the demands of the brief. A hint of depth, whilst still keeping the image fairly abstract, could have given this photograph more of a sense of place perhaps.