Guardian Camera Club: elephantonabicycle's portfolio review

Lighting: Edinburgh, Scotland. There is no smoking allowed inside public builidings. By the way, the background is not black and white, it's just that sometimes Edinburgh really is that grey. The contrast of lighting works well in a dark environment. The man lighting a cigarette is a nice touch, providing one of the few pops of colour. The converging lines lead us into the details in the distance Photograph: elephantonabicycle/flickr

Peek: A Chinese opera singer peeks out from the back of the performance tent. Guilin, December 2008. Note: A lesser man than me would have included a 'Peek-ing Opera' gag but I have successfully resis...bugger. A creative shot making good use of the rule of thirds. Again the colours add impact to the image. The composition adds a bit of mystery without making the subject totally obscure. We used a similar picture in '24 hours in pictures' last year Photograph: elephantonabicycle/Flickr

Chinese Youth: Watching a giant TV screen together, taking a break from skating. Medium format. This is perhaps the least successful of the set. However the pose of the three young men looks very confident Photograph: elephantonabicycle/flickr

Stairs: Northern Vietnam. The man looks as if he is part of a work of graffiti art. The positioning of him on the stairs, the diagonal jagged line and the flash of turquoise make the image very dynamic Photograph: elephantonabicycle/flickr

Girls and boys in China: The t-shirts read "this is my girlfriend / boyfriend", with the arrows supposedly pointing to your preferred other. A witty shot of youth culture in China Photograph: elephantonabicycle/flickr

Slide: A mother looks on as some children play on a slide, Muslim Quarter, Xi'an, China. Each person is wearing blue, an effect which brings the disparate subjects together, in spite of the strong vertical shapes which separate them in the frame. The subtle pink also soften the lines Photograph: elephantonabicycle/flickr