The brother and sister pair entered their photographs, after making use of the good light and interesting architecture seen on their Summer holiday, travelling by train to European cities

The judge’s comments were ..

You have made good use of the opportunity that was presented to you. You were clearly ready to get the shot that you wanted. Capturing the exact moment is a tricky thing to master. You have captured the boat that is turning left in the background at just the right time, so that it presents maximum surface area to your camera. You have managed to use the depth of field to get both the flag in the foreground and the building in the background in good focus. I enjoy the fact that there is a group of people having a discussion on the left side, and their clothing is sympathetic with the colours of the image. The colour palette of the image is beautiful, and the muted saturation in all areas gives a lovely calm feeling. You have just managed to hold in the highlights in the bright area of wake behind the boat, thereby retaining detail in both shadows and highlights.
I like the texture of the bridge above, which in itself could make a good photographic subject. The focus gradually drifts out on the brickwork, but that’s no bad thing, as it then doesn’t particularly distract from the main image. I do wonder whether cropping the image to have a little less brickwork might improve it; that’s something you might like to play with.
Congratulations, after much deliberation, you have been awarded first place in the junior age group in the Harpenden heat of the young photographer competition.

Verity’s photo went on to achieve second place in the district competition.

The judges comments were …

You have picked a very good subject on a lovely day and captured the subject very well. The time of day that you have taken the shot is perfect, as the shadows are just right, not too long, but definitely there, adding to the feeling of three dimensionality. Technically, your exposure is very good, making use of the full tonal range whilst keeping detail in both the shadows and the highlights. Your focus is pin sharp and you have not been tempted to over saturate the colours.
I find myself wanting to explore the details of the statues at the top of the building, and this holds my eye. Your picture includes the concept of converging verticals, where the walls of the buildings appear to lean inwards; some professional architectural photographers would often take steps to eliminate converging verticals, either by using a shift lens, or by post processing the photograph using software. However, I find the presence of converging verticals enjoyable, as they provide ” leading lines” to draw the eye up to those statues at the top, so that the viewer spends a lot of time looking at those details..
Congratulations, after much deliberation, you have been awarded first place in the intermediate age group in the Harpenden heat of the young photographer competition.