Flowby
climbin2thetopComment by Louis: Greetings from the Critique Club!
This is a compelling example of an abstract composition, with many elements that deeply satisfy. The flow of the leading lines coursing their way up from the bottom of the image are dramatic: the wide base of the line virtually covering the bottom of the image, the movement from soft to sharp(er) focus, the seemingly gradual shift from darker to less dark exposure, all work well for me. Colour is done well, offering and interesting mix of hues that are difficult at first to imagine finding naturally anywhere.
Though arguably a formal arrangement, with the gentle curve dissecting the image in half, it has a gritty feeling to it. The area of rougher, detailed texture at right, which is reflected in the lower left portion of the central "flowing" element, works well. There is some sort of scoring noticeable, crossing several elements at once. The left element has a full, almost pulpy feel to it, that counterbalances what we see at right. The slight disfigurement near the top right of the central "flowing" element adds much interest, contributing to the messy, slippery, and almost disturbing nuance of this photo. At some point, this picture has an almost visceral impact (which, in my opinion, may be why others find it unappealing, but not me).
I would accept others' criticism of this being "too soft", or lacking any satisfying depth of field. But in my opinion, the overall effect works excellently in this composition. For me, we neither want to look too closely at the aberrations we see, nor do we want to look away, because we are, in the end, very curious as to what this represents. More to the point, one wants to know what the heck this thing is. This may be the only fundamental weakness of the image: it may not be possible, ultimately, for this to stand on its own as a true abstract, because we sense that this thing
represents something, and we are very curious to know what that something
is. Perhaps a formal definition of "abstract photography" is that which is pleasing to the eye in its own right, without evoking a sense of the tangible, the known, or the representational.
As far as I'm concerned, this is mere semantics, and your photograph has a very strong impact for me. The fact that I don't know what that impact is - either slippery and disturbing, or soft and calming - is a testament to how good this composition really is. Thanks!
Hope this helps,
Louis
Photographer found comment helpful.
