Architecture

This is a classic architectural photograph executed with precision.

By 'classic' I refer to the idea of including foreground information to juxtapose/complement the background information.

Compositionally, the photograph is balanced and allows a two-fold approach to reading its intent: the principal subject is the building in the background which has foreground detail architecture to complement its similar lines, or; the subject is Dubai architecture per se and this composition presents a graphic juxtaposition of the city's architectural elements. Either way, they both work well.

I particularly like how the photographer has given important consideration to the point where the two buildings 'touch', thus creating a tension but also a link between the two. Excellent.

An everyday detail of structural architecture, captured and presented in a striking graphic composition with an aesthetically pleasing colour wash.

It is wonderfully composed - the heavy, solid lines balanced by the lighter linear forms and solid sections in between. This is a classic graphic architectural detail photograph complimented by the green-blue and yellow colour wash.

I'm attracted by the surreality of this image. It conjures visions of a post-apocalyptic urban scene. A photograph such as this could be the start (or perhaps already is) of a series of images depicting such a vision. When an original idea for a photograph is successfully produced, developing it further through the exploration of a series is an important development and should always be considered.

This photograph is not perfect, but it has the most original and powerful idea I have seen amongst the many excellent photographs within this competition.

I believe a good architectural photograph must do two things: firstly it must address a feature of the architecture, and secondly it must do so through sound use of a photographic technique or approach.

This photograph does this wonderfully. If we take the architectural subject to be the shape of the Eye's pod and the photographic approach to be the juxtaposition of this with the concave curve of the City Hall forecourt, we are left with what the photographer has said "looked as if it was a parking place for the pod". That is an excellent (certainly, original) idea for a photograph!

The photographer mentioned he waited until the two elements aligned, which suggests forethought, planning and no doubt only a matter of seconds at the critical moment to capture the image and achieve the result.

I mentioned it was not perfect - a little more space along the left-hand edge and bottom would have allowed the eye more room to work around the all-important curve of the subjects, but this is more than compensated for by the strength of the idea.

A great photograph. Well done.

There were several photographs in this competition which utilised a powerful photographic technique of juxtaposing the solid static forms of architecture with the sweeping movement of nature, in this instance clouds.

I felt that the lightness of the architectural form as composed within the frame of the photograph allowed appropriate space for the sweep of the clouds. This is an important point - where movement is implied there must be space for the eye to follow that movement.

Excellent concept, wonderfully composed and perfectly executed - well done.

One point which almost swayed me against selecting this image, though, was the photographer's copyright imprint. Whilst I can appreciate one needs to protect one's copyright, leaving such a mark is unnecessary and interrupts the reading of the photograph. Lets leave such habits to the rank amateurs - this photographer is anything but.

This may appear to some a rather ordinary and unappealing photograph as the subject matter is the antithesis of shiny and new, but for others (me included) it is extremely interesting.

Firstly, let's examine its formal characteristics. Compositionally, it is perfect - the subject sits neatly within the photograph's frame. The diffuse light and full range of tones allows a clear view of subtle details. The earthy colour hues reflect the degraded nature of the subject.

More interesting is what the photographer states attracted him:

"Repeating architectural patterns and facades that give no indication of scale appeal to me. They could be the size of a sheet of A4 or the size of a house. Images that appear to repeat or extend beyond the frame also intrigue me."

Indeed. How large are these rectangles? I could not tell. This led me to study the image as best I could in Photocrowd but also through further investigation via Google Maps - https://www.google.com.au/maps/@51.5151594,-0.0739523,3a,75y,263.07h,105.31t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sP0YtFclIPe84_pGzr4D9mA!2e0 - which revealed the true scale of the subject and my conclusion that this photographer has developed an excellent technique and a clear philosophy of subject (as gleaned through further research via his Flickr account).

It's all very interesting, which leads me to suggest he has studied some like-minded practitioners - Lewis Baltz's "New Industrial Parks near Irvine" and The Bechers "Typologies" spring to mind, and the themes of writers such as JG Ballard. Once a technique is mastered all that is left for a photographer is to develop a message. A message comes through research and a deeper understanding of the subject that attracted one in the first place.

Based on this photograph alone, this photographer has a great photographic journey ahead. Go for it!

If we consider the photography of architecture to be firstly a form of documentation and secondly an opportunity to impart an aesthetic imprint of one's vision, then this photograph succeeds brilliantly. It is a beautiful photograph of a beautiful subject.

This photograph again ticks many boxes: it is perfectly composed; it balances the juxtaposition of the different building forms; it carries the view to the principal subject (the church tower and steeple); it it gives context of this subject in relation to its environment, and; blends the whole in the most exquisite light.

This is a wonderfully composed, graphic photograph.

I'm firstly drawn in by the lovely monochromatic tones, then teased by the subject perspective (am I looking at a vertical wall or down onto the ground?). To understand the photograph I must spend time looking at it, analysing it, and then finally be satisfied with the fact that I cannot fully understand where or what it is. Intriguing.

I want more!

As suggested in another peer's review, if you are serious about your monochromatic photography you should investigate analogue film, process and print. This subject would lend itself well to such research.

We all know a cliched image when we've seen one. Right? Wrong!

My initial impression of this photograph when scanning the many wonderful photographs in this competition, was a dismissive one I'm ashamed to say. "A remnant castle atop a grassy knoll overlooking a sweeping plain under clear, soft late afternoon light shouldered by wispy clouds...", sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale, but is in fact the makings of a classic photograph. The aforementioned description, however should have the following suffix: ..."are wonderfully captured within this timeless photographic composition".

Cliche was the wrong word. Classic is the correct one. This is indeed a classically wonderful photograph. Slight technical aberrations such as the masking line between the foreground and background to one side, I returned again and again to this image to simply gaze and enjoy. It is gorgeous.

Yes, there is always a place for a classic. Thank you for reminding us.

This photograph could be the start of a series: "veiled views of Oxford". This is an evocative image of an evocative subject. The photographic approach - misty morning/evening views of All Souls - lends itself brilliantly to the subject. Use this idea as a starting point and explore it further. This is a successful photograph. Go on, make another!

Instead of waiting for sunny, clear weather, do the opposite and tackle your subject in adverse, difficult conditions. Yes, it will be challenging but would offer fresh circumstances for a well known subject.

Good luck.

I have said it several times in this Photocrowd critique, and I certainly say it to all my students: what is the 'idea' of the photograph?!

This photograph has an idea - the use of reflections to graphically illustrate the architecture. In this instance the subject is the architecture of the Valencia Science Park (the work of principal architect Santiago Calatrava). This graphic approach grabs your attention and forces you to look at it closely to try and understand what it is you are actually looking at. The soft monochrome tones impede this interpretation and in turn enhance the graphic quality of the photographic approach.

(Lovers of monochromatic (digital) photographs must, if they are serious about their photography, take the plunge into the depths of analogue black and white film, processing and printing if they really want to appreciate this important photographic genre. This image would be a great subject for such exploration.)

The idea of this photograph is not to impart fundamental information about the architecture (i.e. site, scale, use), but to visually arrest our attention, to drag us into the frame, to tease our sense of order and ultimately to stimulate our awareness of the subject.

This has been done successfully to the extent it forced your judge to look at other photographs of this subject - https://www.google.com.au/search?q=valencia+science+museum&rlz=1C5CHFA_enAU548AU549&espv=2&es_sm=119&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=sKI8VJGqH5Ht8gXM2YHwBg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1586&bih=1068#tbm=isch&q=valencia+science+park - which led me to conclude that this is a particularly distinct photographic example of this wonderful architectural site.

Well done.

This is a particularly alluring photograph. I'm attracted by the repetitive arched shapes and the cool blue hues which complement the soft warmth of the subtle yellow tones. But most of all I'm intrigued by the warp of the largest arch and the expanse of blue to it's left. The image is part reality, part surreality. Set your gaze down the corridor of arches and the subject is perfectly clear, move your gaze up and you are in the realms of illustrated fiction. I don't know whether the blue is paint work or simply a trick of the light.

All of this makes me want to look harder, to have my questions answered. I love photographs like this!

This is a great example of an architectural photograph with a strong idea, the idea being to contextualise the subject - a contemporary building (in this case the The National Museum of 21st Century Arts, Rome by Zaha Hadid) - with its non-contemporary neighbouring buildings. And what a way to do it, using the reflection of said buildings within a graphic composition of the contemporary building.

The sliver of bright colour and quirky shapes of the local vernacular contrast wonderfully with the muted tones and bold shapes of the principal subject. Fantastic!

There are three aspects that all students of architectural photography must consider for successful image making: composition, composition and composition. If the composition fails, then no matter how gorgeous the light or brilliant the architecture, the photograph will have failed.

This image, though not perfect is far from failure. Lying on your back with a camera pressed hard to your face is tough, but your perseverance has paid dividends.

Having made a successful photograph, the trick is to do it again. And again.

The subject demands an approach such as this - that is a one-point perspective presenting the window/apertures as geometric shapes within the field of timber. The photographer has done this exceptionally well. Everything is perfectly straight and aligned, as it must be in a composition such as this. The large triangular aperture neatly holds the bottom corner of the frame leaving the remaining space to be filled and balanced by the smaller triangles.

The composition imparts information about the graphic nature and the materiality of the architecture.

An excellent architectural photograph.

This has a very sound photographic idea and has been well executed.

The 'idea' is to create a distinctive mood to illustrate this type of architecture. The subject is a detail of the principal elevation of a nondescript church through silhouetted, barren foliage. The scene is at night and the angled key lighting on the facade adds to the distinctly foreboding mood of the scene.

The tight composition, the lighting and the skeletal branches create a quite frightening image. The exposure for the highlights only leaves the shadows black, which adds to this mood.

Can you repeat this approach? Can you recreate this nightmarish feel with another church or similar? That is your challenge.

This is a wonderful photograph in the making. You have this intriguing cobbled street, a classic arch and clock tower, misty mountain backdrop and the gorgeous colours of mixed dusk lighting.

The problem is the composition. We have too much cobbled foreground. The real interest is in a horizontal rectangular band across the frame - crop out the bottom third of frame and a little of the top and you will have a much stronger composition.

When making your composition, ask yourself this: what IS my subject? Then crop accordingly. Don't be afraid to crop tight. Make your point strong and clear.

I like this idea of using everyday items and creating a cityscape. I like it very much. With a little more effort and investigation, this could be an outstanding photograph.

Move in even tighter. Yes, the foreground will drop out of focus, but use that to effect. Have foreground staple towers (out of focus) which you look 'through' to your mid-ground set of towers with additional out-of-focus towers in the background.

Next, try different props - pens, erasers, toilet rolls!

I'm serious - you have a great idea on your hands. Get to it and send me the results.

This is an intriguing photograph. It reminds me of the Russian constructivist artists of the 1920s (see Alexander Rodchenko, Albert Renger-Patzsch) who rebelled against the staid, formal approach of their photographer predecessors by using deliberate perspective distortion and unusual camera viewpoints to draw the viewers' attention to new ideas of art and design.

By comparison to the other submissions in this competition, this work is quite distinct because of the aforementioned contrasting approach.

The result is a quirky, soft-focused but well balanced view of a sweep of Chicago architecture, and in so doing further reminds one of the constructivists vision of a modern future.

This technique of high contrast using architecture as the subject is very interesting. I'm slightly disorientated by the fact I can't identify the edge of the frame, nonetheless I think you are on to something with this.

I would like to see other examples of this approach as it is quite different to your peers in this competition.

But, like all good ideas they must be fully tested and that means making more similar photographs. Nondescript contemporary architecture lends itself perfectly to such an approach.