Digital Photography Composition of the Week

High Relief at Oslo City Hall

Photography composition derived from sculpture

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Digital Photography Composition #2 - 15 April 2009 Minolta Dimage 7Hi, 18-200mm @ 66mm, ISO 100, 1/350s, f/6.7. High-relief sculpture portraying history of the city.

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Two of my favorite photo subjects are architecture and sculpture. These combine nicely with another favorite, travel photography, as in this photo. One of my favorite buildings is the Oslo, Norway, city hall. It is an imposing brick structure facing the Oslo Fjord waterfront.

At first glance, the building appears to be a simple brick box atop a marble-clad first story. But, closer inspection reveals beautifully patterned brickwork and many sculptures built into the walls. These range in style from bas relief, to high relief (as above), to full relief free-standing sculptures attached to the walls.

I selected this one because it blends the strength of the workers with the strength of the direct, high-contrast lighting.

Photo Critique

	Two dimensions of this image add to its impact: The high contrast adds drama by accentuating the high relief style of the sculpture. You can tell that this is late afternoon sun because the shadows project nearly horizontally. The quality of the light from the late afternoon sun gives a very monochromatic feel. The image has the look of a tinted black and white photograph. The sculpture is actually much whiter than it appears, but the sun has provided the warm color cast.
	The water fountain in front may be distracting to some viewers, as there is not enough fountain shown to give it context. I have other photo compositions that include more of the fountain, but they diminish the impact of the sculpture.
	I struggled with the question of whether or not the image would have more visual impact as a close-up of one worker. Then, you would see the contrast of the stone texture with the apparent smoothness of the facial features. That is an opportunity for another image the next time I visit Oslo.