Clearly a lot of planning has gone into this shot, and it has paid off. The illusion created by the swirling graffiti on the wall is echoed by the pattern on the umbrella and the stripes on the figure on the left give the viewer’s eyes something else to wrestle with. Asking both of the men to look towards the central figure (even though their eyes are covered) keeps our attention in the frame. It’s really well executed.
797 Images entered
Photographing attractive graffiti is one thing but using the surrounding environment to add to a story takes it up to a whole new level. The lines of scaffolding and wooden panels draw the viewer’s eye to the head of this strange creature, while the wheels on the right act like a full stop, preventing our eye from drifting out of the frame.
534 Photographers
We’re often told not to divide the frame in half, but here it works brilliantly. The viewer’s eye struggles to know which half to look at first – the head of the alien or the slightly hostile landscape on the left. The fact is, both have equal importance, and this visual discomfort introduces a sense of unease that seems to suit the subject matter perfectly.
Brief
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**This contest is open to photographers ranked below 1000 in this week’s <a href="https://www.photocrowd.com/photographer-community/">Leaderboard</a>.** Graffiti remains controversial, even though Banksy’s street art has brought a new cachet and air of respectability to the genre, along with a lot of collectors’ money. Graffiti ranges from simple ‘tags’ of the artist’s name, or slogans daubed on walls, bridges and the like, through to elaborate and stunning murals, sometimes with a social or political theme. Shooting work for this contest offers the photographer a good reason to trawl their local town or city looking for interesting street art, in interesting places.
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