This has such a distinctive quality to it. The boldness of the inherent shapes of the gate have been perfectly composed within the camera frame. Dark and brooding, yet still providing flecks of detail. The bright red and blue background reinforces the striking graphic nature of the image. Wonderful.
This was a standout image. Certainly, there were several excellent backlit gates providing graphic shadows amongst this collective. But, this photograph resonated. It has a surreal quality that draws one in. I like the streak of gate shadow sweeping across the road, the glistening reflections in the foreground water. I also like that we can peer over the gate and to the hills in the distance. These provide depth and drama.
Examining it more closely there is a sign post stating "public footpath", with another in the tree stating "private fishing". Such circumstantial detail adds to the overall narrative.
The design of the gate is nonedescript. Its position in relation to the water is, well odd to say the least. Is this a flooded scene? Why is there a gate here? Gates provide an entry (or exit) to another place. The distant information provides some information in that regard, but not categoric. Thus, we are left with a slightly impression of a surreal place.
1,291 Images entered
428 Photographers
Brief
See more contest details
**This contest is open to photographers ranked between 251 and 1000 in this week’s <a href="https://www.photocrowd.com/photographer-community/">Leaderboard</a>.** We like to parcel up our land, delineate it, and allow or forbid access. And that’s where gates, and their gateways come in. From the battered farm gates that are hanging off their hinges, to gilded creations that front palaces, gates pepper our world with constant reminders of the boundaries that surround us. For the purposes of remaining on-brief, a gate is defined as “a hinged barrier used to close an opening in a wall, fence, or hedge” and a gateway as “an opening that can be closed by a gate”.
Meet the expert judge
A classic sunset land/seascape view. The brightness of the sun, filtered through the atmospheric haze, allows us to look at it directly. It sends a glistening path across the water, to our subject, a gate. This appears almost imperceptibly (I must admit that I missed it at first glance). Looking closer, those sun-induced reflections provide a brightened backing on the water to neatly outline the tiny gate. Now we see it! And, in the context of this contest this is not necessarily a sunset photograph, but a dramatic land/seascape scene that provides a subtle intro to far more important matters – a gate.
