A Feeling of Menace

The blurb on this picture gives it an edge of comedy although it is basically quite eerie in nature. Being in black and white and through a wet window pane helps give it the necessary atmosphere to be in the top ten of all the entries.

There were quite a few clown entries in this competition and this is the one to make my top ten. Although at first glance the clown has a fairly benign look on his face there is an underlying look of nastiness. The angle the picture has been taken from is good as is the colour edit. The two balloons balance out the position of the figure.

I found this photograph to be the one that made me feel the most uneasy. It is obviously a person but is so indistinct that this gives it the feeling of uneasiness. The fact that it is monotone helps give the necessary feeling although I personally would have not bothered with the Raven although I understand that the premise for the picture was that of a movie called 'The Raven.'

I put this one in the top ten of another competition I ran and yet again it is successful in a differing theme. There are so many questions that can arise from the image, 'Who is the man?', 'Why is he in a tunnel?' and what does his head turning away mean?' Just a very atmospheric image which as I say makes one think.

I guess a clown of this type had to be in the top ten. The reason I have placed it there is that it is a very well taken picture with excellent clarity. I feel a lot of thought has gone into the costume and creation of the make up. The brightness of the clown in comparison to the foliage and other background features is good, letting us focus on the terrifying figure. I also like the fact the clown is not looking at me but its as if he is waiting for someone to come along and carry out some unimaginable terror. My only issue on a personal level is the crop. I would like to have seen the whole left hand.

I really liked the way this one has been composed with only a small section of the menacing figure showing and one is drawn to the figure's partly showing face. The colour tones are excellent and help give it that uneasy, threatening feel.

A picture full of narrative and rather unsettling in its concept. The lighting is good although if I had taken the image I think I would have moved the threatening figure nearer the camera, perhaps in line with the child and given it a bit more light but that is just a personal opinion. I like the location and the way the central wall separates the unwanted visitor with the child.

This image immediately made me think of the Alfred Hitchcock classic, 'Psycho' a film full of menace and suspense. It is simple in construction but carries with it the feeling of menace I was looking for. The black and white adds to the atmosphere.