What do I like about this shot? Let me count the ways:
1. Outrageous color. Reddish-orange is an eye-catcher.
2. Repeating patterns. One curve is terrific; more curves make more of a statement. One bright chrome line is good, four make us pay more attention.
3. Movement. I like how the four chrome elements lead our eye up along a diagonal line. I like how the curving elements on the left (not unlike a cockatoo's crest) branch away from the "core" chrome lines and encourage our eye to swing upward and away. And I like how the horizontal repeating elements lead our eye off to the right and somewhat down. There's a lot of movement going on in this simple composition.
4. Contrast. Your eye probably noticed the color first and then went immediately to the four chrome elements. Why? Because they're the lightest/brightest things in the photo. And then there's the contrast between severe, straight lines and the softer curving elements in the orange sections.
If I were to prep this photo again, I might crop in from the left so that tiny bit of chrome there in the lower left didn't show. I find my eye going back there again and again, so it's a distraction, not a compositional element. My photo is all about color, line, simplicity, and movement. That little bit of chrome showing through doesn't add to my concepts of color, line, simplicity, and movement. It should go, don't you think?
©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!
