OK…. One of my photog friends (I’m not going to mention any names) thought that this image was too “way too much” for him, meaning that it was too busy for his liking (I think.).
(As an aside, it’s not a double exposure. It’s a single frame, long exposure.)
While I have great respect for this person (who blogs here, by the way … check it out; it’s some cool stuff), I like this one (click on it to blow it up bigger). Here are a couple of reasons. (1) It plays with your brain. I like photos that mess with your eye, that make you think. What’s inside, what’s outside, what’s in front, and what’s behind — it’s all sort of visually nebulous. (2) It has a film noir look, I like. (3) In part, because of those two things, it has an air of mystery about it… and that rectangle on the right sight sort of looks like some kind of portal to another dimension or something. (4) While it initially looks like jumble of everything, there are elements of composition here – Look at the triangular form and light balance between the van and beverages on the left and the bright magic portal on the right. Notice how the building in the upper right plays against the building on the mid left. The table and settings on the lower left and the road lines and the table on the bottom form something of a frame for the edge and bottom and play off the opposing corner.
Of course, some people might say, “Look, if you’ve got to work that hard to explain it, it’s not working on its own.” And that may be.
Soooooo … what do you think? Be honest. Sometimes I shoot nice stuff … sometimes I miss. That’s just part of it. Is this a hit or a miss? What say ye?
(Oh, and here are some more of my photos if you want to look at others. Have a great day!)