The appreciation of a certain photograph, of course, has a degree of subjectivity. What one person might like will be completely different from another – that’s what makes the medium so interesting. When it comes to picking images for a competition, there’s a set of criteria we can use to help us decide whether an image is a ‘winner’ or not. Looking at certain elements like the composition, the focusing, the subject matter, and the overall message a photographer is portraying, can help in the decision-making process. While it’s important to view an image within its contextual sphere some of the most interesting entries are those that turn the conventional criteria upside down and capture your attention for a closer look.
As I look through the entries to the Open competition every week, it's always a pleasure to come across those that you'd never expect. See if you can spot the images from the selection below that did just that.