Many years ago, I was in Prague attending a conference. After a couple of days spent listening to lengthy (and sometimes boring) scientific presentations, I decided that it was time to feed my soul and just wander off through the city for an afternoon, photographing anything that caught my eye. I had never been to Prague before so all the streets, bridges and buildings looked fresh and interesting. I am a fan of telephoto shots in cities, as you can shoot over the heads of any tourist and capture the architectural details of buildings above eye level.

My eye was drawn to the yellow building, which seemed to stand out on that grey March day. The bare branches provided a sort of filter on either side of the main subject. So, I tried to arrange a symmetrical composition around the yellow building. With a limited ability to position the elements perfectly from my vantage point, I tried to balance the number of surrounding trees on either side of the yellow building, viewing it through the gap in the center. The grey buildings seemed to act like bookends for the composition, and their appearance was filtered through the filigree of branches on either side. On the building on the right, there was a large panel of words painted on the wall. At first, I hoped for it to be more visible through the branches, but I was also aware it might be a distraction as our eyes are always drawn to any text in an image.

Symmetrical compositions are often used in Fine Art photography as they give the images a great sense of stability. Commonly, a central subject, sometimes free standing or flanked on either side by similar features, is presented to the viewer, often in the square format. Although it can make great wall art, this approach can also lead to static images that lose their interest to the viewer after a short time. Here, I was trying for that balanced look but with enough variety on either side to keep the viewer interested for a little longer.

The image was taken on an APSC camera with a full frame equivalent focal length of 264mm. This is perhaps an unusual approach to cityscape photography but I think this helps it to stand out from the crowd.

What are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!

The viewer’s eye is drawn quickly to the yellow building because of the bright color in an otherwise gloomy scene. The filigree branches of the two trees on either side act as a frame for the central subject.

If you could make this photo again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or different?

I only noticed one pigeon in the frame and tried to keep it clear of the branches when taking the shot. Later, I noticed a second pigeon, which is partly hidden.

David Hay shared this photograph with the FRAMES Facebook Group.

Photographer

David Hay, Pitlochry, Scotland, UK