Some beautiful photographs, again! Thank you to all who entered it’s a pleasure to judge across such a wide range of images, from London to Japan and places in between. Once again it’s a challenge to choose the best ones in such an interesting set of images,

The Winner

Easter Friday Procession, Trapani, Sicily by Brian Houghton

Such drama! What a position the photographer has taken up, really close up with a wide angle lens. The results are there for all to see.  The fantastic capture of the central character, with his “chain of office”.  The gripped hands on the left hand side speak of the emotion and passion of this parade as do the closed eyes of the other man.  The Virgin Mary is perfectly positioned and is the final piece that makes this picture a winner.  The exposure on the dark gown, her face and above all the halo (literally and metaphorically) are handled perfectly.  The black and white conversion is excellent and adds to the drama. Well done brilliantly seen and executed.

Highly Commended, in no particular order

Traditional Leather tanning,  Fez, Morocco by Thomas Andy Branson

I’ve seen and judged plenty of pictures from this location, but this has that bit extra.  The main “bit extra” is the worker’s face! It stinks in there and that shows, you can almost smell the leather works yourself. That alone, though, isn’t enough to get it into the highly commended category. The composition, exposure and image quality really bring this photograph alive and make an excellent travel image.

Moving forward looking back, Tokyo, Japan by Dan Bronish

I really like this image, but it breaks all the rules: she’s got her back to us, the people in the background have got their backs to us and there are some distracting features in the background. BUT the image works well and is distinctive. Why? She is the epitome of a Japanese lady, calm, perfect poise, this comes across well. The colours really work: the Kimono “backpack”, the fan and most importantly the decoration in her hair.  For me the part that really gave the image a story were the few strands of grey hair. Somehow it made the image more human with a touch of fragility. 

Living in the shadow of the mosque, Old Delhi by Richard Broomfield

A really interesting and different take on the Jama Masjid. This has atmosphere and mood aplenty. I really enjoy the lower central part of the picture with a curtain/sheet blowing in the breeze.  It’s this that gives an aura of mystery.  The contrast of the mud/brick of the house and the magnificent architecture of the mosque is intriguing, Some difficult exposure here, handled really well.

The Offerings. Kazbeghi, Georgia by Sanjoy Sengupta

What on earth is going on here? A woman in relatively Western dress offering a posy of flowers to an Easter Island type sculpture.  It is very strange and this picture captures the mystery really well.  Google Lens has, unfortunately, taken some of that mystery away, but it still remains a captivating and enigmatic image.