Bald Eagle - W Hiddleston

1st Place
Beautiful shot of the eagle set off with the black background, sharp and lots of detail in the feathers.

Away from it All - P Learmont

Lovely sky and a good idea with the horses, the picture is a bit flat needs contrast to bring out the colours.

A stich in time - W Hiddleston

An interesting portrait, you need some light on the stitching hand and his eye. The white of the sleeve is burnt out.

Camden street scene - W Hiddleston

Good colouring in the murals. The whites are a bit bright, waiting until the two people were finished and asking the man to sit on the step would bring him out of the mass. Not quite sharp.

Chip lets hide fae Dale - M Stewart

This image has captured the three faces well, the background is a little distracting. Crop top and bottom and the left to the ear and the faces look much stronger.

Cheeky Chappy - A McNay

A brave closeup portrait catchlight in the eye and detail in the beard. Clone out the bright spots in the glasses. The image is not sharp, lightening the image and adding a little contrast will help sharpen him up.

Derelict School House - J Harkness

2nd Place
A good lead into the image along the road and around the corner with detail in the snow.

Don't drink and dive - B Brown

Competent image with good colouring, really you need the legs in the people, and it lacks something to rest the eye on.

Flying High - B Gillespie

Well captured action lots of detail in the bike pity the face is not sharp, crop to a square to isolate the action as the trees on the left detract from the image.

Fiery Rods - E Laidlaw

The red is striking which separates this plant from the undergrowth. It is not strong enough to hold my attention though.

Foiled Light - A McNay

An interesting set up, capturing the colours in the foil. The black at the top is distracting and I would like to have seen the whole bulb in focus.

Fun in the Sun - A Stuart

The youngsters in the image look as if they are having fun. The spray of the water has been frozen, and the scale of the spray is vast, I would like to see more of the figures.

Getting ready to load - E Laidlaw

This subject was on the move, a bright day but the author has captured the light well. If it was cropped to the workers elbow it would make a stronger image. As his stance does nothing for him.

If one green bottle - M Stewart

Sharp image of the bottles, my eye immediately goes to the right top corner and stops there. If one green bottle was falling without that corner the eye would go to it.

Here today gone tomorrow - P Learmont

A common sight, this red fungus attracts the eye. In this case the author should have done some gardening before taking the picture, removing some of the debris around them. The light has bleached the top of the main one.

Let's break the ice - B Brown

A very bright day that causes problems for white subjects, the author almost managed to keep the swans from burning out. The ice needs to be lightened though.

Not shipshape anymore - B Brown

3rd Place
The author has captured the spoils of time on the old boat. The background is a bit distracting, there is a very small area in focus.

Making the Jump - J Harkness

Commended
Sports shots can be difficult, but the author of this image has managed to catch this biker in mid-air. You need to get under that hat and lighten those eyes.

Old Mill - A Stuart

Another bright day with lots of contrast. Try to choose evening light or Morning light when the sun is lower in the sky and has a warm glow. The blacks in this image are blocked because you were metering for the light areas. The image needs to be a bit sharper.

Pyjama Day - J Harkness

The two girls at the window are just whiling the day away, a bit of contact with the photographer would have added a little more interest and it needs to be sharper.

Reaching for the Stars - A Stuart

Commended
This image appeals to me, the colours in the trees and the stars in the dark sky. I just wish you had captured more of the tree trunk.

Since 1886 - E Laidlaw

This image is sharp where it needs to be. I like the colours and the texture in the rocks. The main subject is not holding my attention.

Sunset from Auchenrath - P Learmont

The colours in the sky are quite impressive, it is a shame you didn’t take the picture from the other side of the pole. And lost some of the prominent tree.

Take off - B Gillespie

Difficult to capture birds in flight, this swan is coming towards you and only the beak looks sharp due to the movement A different angle would help greatly.

The futures bright - M Stewart

This image is sharp in the background which I presume is the future and the metal in front out of focus. I think the houses behind the bridge are distracting and it would be good to see someone or something on the bridge that represents the future.

Tower of Strength - A McNay

Good detail in the church tower and you have the top point in the picture. The tower is leaning back it needs straightened. Or go back and stand farther back to get a straighter picture. Drop the saturation a bit.

Where are the fish - B Gillespie

Highly Commended
The heron is stalking the fish, there is detail in the feathers. Not quite sharp enough and the water at the front is bleached out. But good try.