I find this photograph intriguing.
As with every photograph I make or critique, let us firstly examine the composition. A band of information at base of frame; principle subject information centred; soft, light-toned overcast sky above. Simple, balanced, as it should be.
The juxtaposition of gas tank with buildings in front, allied with the overgrown vegetation seemingly engulfing these, along with the wasteland foreground, provide a scene of indeterminate status.
I want to go there and explore it for myself.
Wonderful scene. Great compostion. There is balance between the subject, its location and the time of day. Technically, it has been handled very well - the long exposure has softened the sea and sky.
My only criticism is the warm tones are dominating. I would reinvestigate your colour settings and reducing this and lift the cool blues of the sea. I think you'll find it will add to the overall integrity of the photograph.
I like the relationship of the cooling towers with the wall, paving and street. The hues and tones are almost identical, as if planned and built by the same hands. The steam with sky also marry as one.
The scrawl of graffiti (its subject matter to one side) adds a note of humanity. Together with our industrial subject matter, reminds us that the world is large and complex place.
Construction sites are an excellent place for photographic research, as the environment is constantly changing.
The linear form of multiple construction cranes, are in this instance, accentuated by the addition of seasonal lighting against a darkened night sky. Simple photographic approach, well conceived, composed and executed.
The long exposure, clear, soft light and subtle lines and scale, make what is undoubtedly an expansive industrial scene in the distance, appear... well, beautiful.
The composition includes one gentle leading line which takes us to our subject, which in turn leads (via that whispy line from the red-topped chimneys) us out to sea.
This photograph, at first glance, appears very simple, straightforward and undramatic. It avoids much of the drama that industrial buildings can provide (as exampled through many of the submissions in this contest). I appreciate its calm, confident balance of information, which provides perfectly for an ambiguous narrative interpretation.
Compositionally, it is perfect. There are four principle sections: the narrow ground-level band anchors the frame; flanked either side by the silos, which lead to; the distant elevation with its mottled render, tiny windows, entry doors and pipes.
Within each of these sections there is subsidiary information: the fading lines on the ground; the row of white doors; the overhead gantry and; the angled silo dispensing arms. The distant elevation holds the most detail, which is important as the dominant lines lead to it.
With this sound, strong, composition in place, I then examine the edges of the photograph’s frame to look for anything disturbing. The vertical and horizontal lines are as they should be (parallel to the frame) and the fine detail information (look at the brown strip on the right and the space above the cross-strut on the gantry at top of frame) reinforces that this photographer has made every effort to examine all the information and ensure that the edge-of-frame information consolidates the composition.
The even, diffused light allows the viewer to examine easily all the information. The muted hues and tones add to the atmosphere and combined with the aforementioned details, to the narrative of this place. Is it a quiet factory corner awaiting activation by the next shift of workers and vehicles? Or, one now derelict, the building neatly shuttered to await an unknown future? Only the pigeon knows.
This a wonderful, classicly composed photograph. The subject is slightly off-centre and held in place by the angle of the timber gate and the busy bush at right edge of frame. There are bands of narrow information in the hills behind to satisfy our keen eyes, and the soft fluffy clouds don't dominate the principle subject, the old chimney.
Meet the expert judge
A dramatic mountain scene comprising three components: the sky, the building/mountain, the grey roof. The sky and the roof act as neutral components ’squeezing’ the principle subject (the derelict buildings) with its location (the mountain range) as if melded as one. This melding is reinforced by the fine detail of alining the roofline with the mountain line in centre of frame.
The dominant lines of the composition lead to the sunlit end elevation (with its row of four bright windows) of the old mill, which in turn ‘projects’ itself to the right and out of frame.
The derelict mill, siting astride its mountain, maintains a dignified pose until the bitter end.
1,350 Images entered
532 Photographers
39,723 Ratings
Brief
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Not always thought of as beautiful, but certainly interesting and worthy of a photographer’s attention, industrial buildings vary greatly in their aesthetic, age, size, function and ease of access. Some older industrial buildings are considered valuable heritage architecture, and are being treated as such, whilst many others have become derelict. But most are still functioning industrial units, and so shooting from an accessible vantage point, or requesting permission to shoot on-site will be required. We’re restricting ourselves to the exteriors of industrial buildings in this contest, and an exploration of your local town or city should throw up many opportunities to shoot new work.
