A surreal story

Photographer: Iris
Reviewed by Sindy Püssa
http://www.flickr.com/photos/karello/sets/72157626902641452/

The composition of this image is just perfect. (photo #05) Although the location seems to be a park, nothing specific of a certain place is revealed and we are left with a poetic meditation, a beautiful image loaded with semiotic symbols which offer many different readings.
For example the use of shadows alludes to surrealism while the pigeons could be a tribute to Hitchcock. Although the composition is relying on one point perspective, which has its roots in classical painting, in this photograph we see lines that are more diagonal. This makes the image very dynamic, as the eye of the viewer is drawn towards the vanishing point, but failing to reach it, reverts back to focus on the pigeons. The pigeons, however, are in a dialogue with the shadowy figure. The contrasts within the gray tarmac are subtle and the image is almost monochrome with only a thread of vivid green grass framing the shot. Even though the image may seem still and peaceful at first it soon unveils its unfathomable story, leaving the viewer perplexed and somehow uneasy.