Harbours, Quays and Ports

This photograph works very well in a number of ways: the jumble of rocks in the foreground right corner lead the eye to the stone wall above, which in turn leads to the set of stairs, which neatly leads us to the principal subject — the boat — whhich sits neatly in the centre of the frame. It is as if the stonework is embracing the boat, protecting it. The background band of information provides distant information that furthers our understanding of the environment, and the scale of the harbour. It is like the photographer has found this little, unassuming boat, hiding in a corner, and has determined (through thoughtful composition) to reveal and highlight its existance. The soft, subtle hues and tones provides a genuine reflection of the scene and the available light. A wonderful quiet documentary photograph. Well done.

This photograph dramatically portrays the enormous scale of contemporary ocean liners. The little building, tiny vehicles and even tinier people offset this scale. So much, in fact that the whole scene looks like a model! The diffused ambient daylight renders the colours naturally. The soft tones provide information in the highlights and shadows. The square composition holds all this neatly and without fuss.

Framing a subject through another subject is a well established photographic approach. Doing so provides an additional layer of foreground information that can either contrast or compliment the principle subject matter beyond. In this instance, it is the latter. The chains and pulleys provide a detail that relates directly to the commercial port activity below and beyond. It complicates our reading of the information, but if handled successfully (as is the case here) it enhances the overall impact. The monchromatic rendering eliminates distracting colour and helps fuse the foreground and background information.