The Town Steepleby
TommyMoe21Comment by amber: Hi from the Critique Club!
This is an image that creates a dark, moody, mysterious atmosphere. It conjures up memories of watching late night horror films as a child, where the victims always ended up in the graveyard at night, and you hid behind the sofa.
The dark threatening sky warns us that something unpleasant may be about to happen. In this picture the steeple and cross are in the light, highlighted against a dark sky, which gives the impression of a soon to come battle between good/light and evil/dark. The battle begins as soon as night falls. This symbology is echoed by the bottom left diagonal being lighter than the top right.
That said, the viewer̢۪s eye is drawn to the top of the steeple, but the trees on the right are distracting: The focus of the picture is the steeple, but it is in competition with those trees and therefore the image loses its impact. Cropping the image, or reframing it at the time, to focus solely on the steeple would have created a more powerful image.
The sky is dark , moody and dramatic and is the essential ingredient in creating the striking atmosphere of the picture. However, the dodging around the steeple is a little over done and a little harsh on the eye. But even so, even done like this, it has an unreal quality to it that perhaps works. The leaning steeple perhaps adds to this unreal feeling.
The building itself has too much detail for a true silhouette. Had you exposed correctly for the silhouette, the image would have been more powerful.
This image does evoke a sense of foreboding and appeals to our primal fears.
Photographer found comment helpful.