This month we’re challenging you to look for and capture nature’s unstoppable desire to retake control, exploring the tension and drama between the natural world and the human built environment. Ruins and abandoned sites are a popular subject for urban photographers, but you don’t have to look for isolated crumbling constructions to find this tension, which is all around us. Our high-tech urban surroundings often allow us to forget that they are struggling against nature, but close observation can always reveal signs of the natural world breaking through. A cobweb glistening in a doorway, a green shoot finding a crack in the pavement, a tree growing through a wire fence - all of these are familiar urban sights that can become powerful symbols of nature’s determination when captured through a lens. This month, where will you find nature retaking control?
If you live near an abandoned power station or theme park, go for it! However, if you don’t have one of these on your doorstep, there are lots of things you can look for in any human environment - houses in need of renovation, overgrown train tracks, or bridges coated with lichen. Focus on the boundary between the human-built objects and the irrepressible nature that surrounds, comes through, or colonises them. Make sure that your chosen angle and composition emphasise the drama, and try to visually balance the warring elements. Explore striking contrasts of colour and texture - green can really pop against rust-red backgrounds, and furry moss can break up an expanse of hard concrete. Watch out for contrasting shapes as well, since nature abhors a straight line and architects love them. You’re likely to be shooting outside, so pay attention to the sun, be patient, and use shadows and the changing light to bring out the best in your chosen subject.
Winners of the expert and crowd votes will each get a copy of Urban Exploration Photography: A Guide to Creating and Editing Images of Abandoned Places by Todd Sipes
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