Another great set of pictures again this month, though the skills required to meet the combination of close-up, still life and the possibility of non-natural light have made weeding (sorry) out the less strong images a little easier. My shortlist came only to 14 – but selecting the top three from this smaller number was just as problematic as it usually is.

Plant photography is really quite difficult – as I’m sure you all have realised – because for the most part we have to rely on ourselves to create the picture rather than photograph something that exists as a picture-waiting-to-be-taken. On these small scales we have to take full control of composition, lighting and focus – in landscapes so many aspects are dealt with for us already by nature.

So congratulations go to all those who made the shortlist.

Just to remind you of the prizes: the first placed image wins a wonderful Nikon Coolpix S210 compact camera – kindly donated by Nikon UK, and second and third placed pictures win a highly coveted ‘AP Loves My Pictures’ mug.

The winners are:

3rd place: APchris

We see a lot of leaf pictures at AP, but this one has achieved what so many fail to (and AlexAvery was close behind). So often the feature is that the leaf is backlit, and the veins and structure are visible. Here though the feature is the sweep of the swirl and the gentle lighting that shows us the texture and shape of what we are looking at. The selective focus lets us know where to look and the colours are bold without being overdone. It’s a great shot.

2nd place: shutterhack

I love the colours in this picture. The cool blues, greens and cyans of the shadows really emphasise the pinks and peaches of the petals. The composition and shallow depth of field draws our attention to the starring flower, while the others make a complimentary backdrop. The focal length is just right to give a realistic perspective that separates foreground from background without that extreme wideangle effect.

1st place: Fen

It pains me to say it – but this month’s winner is Fen with his Ball Thistle. He says himself (in case we were going to miss it!) that the picture is about colours, symmetry and design – and it is. The shot looks dead simple, though I’m sure it wasn’t, and he has resisted the temptation to try jazzing it up with colour saturation and contrast. It’s very easy to look at and very pleasing – unlike its creator! As plants are so well designed it is often best to show them in as uncomplicated a way as possible. Then we can appreciate their colours and forms without distraction, and we can let them stand on their own as works of beauty. The skill, of course, is to show them accurately that way. And that is exactly what Fen has done.

Conclusion:

Damien Demolder