In this case, wandering around the Palouse in Washington, I liked the look of this building, how old and weathered it was, and I especially liked the ladder.
When processing the shot, I also realized that I had created a wonderful combination of a strong vertical element (the ladder) and a strong set of horizontal lines that lead your eye to the vertical element. And then, as though that weren't enough compositional candy, I liked the repeating pattern of the skinny vertical boards that lead your eye horizontally across the frame.
But there's more. There are two horizontal rows of nails that also lead eastward. And then, behind the ladder, there is a vertical grouping of wider boards, boards that lead your eye both vertically and then horizontally out of the frame.
If you squint, you see this is a very simply composed photograph. If you look closer, there's so much going on, so much for your eye to see, so much to lead your eye left, right, up, down, that I get dizzy just talking about it.
P.S. Good morning, C2, who was there with me when I shot this. Remember?
©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.
