Running Man Fred Barrington ARPS

Gold Medal Winner

Fred Barrington aRPS in this image, it is deliberately unclear whether he is running away from the person with the dog, or towards them (as they are reflected). it is itself based upon another series of images (i tend to work in projects/ series) that feature found reflections (or asymmetrical Symmetry as i call it).

This image is part of a series i am currently working on, which is intended to show a man running away from something or someone unknown. it is still very much a work in progress as it is currently a series of images and i want to develop it into more of a narrative.

Carol Palmer aRPS

This is an image of outstanding design and classic technique. The key elements are superbly balanced by shape, form and tonal arrangement. a monochrome work of art.

Jay Charnock fRPS a bold image which positively explodes onto the page! Breaking the rules by cutting the image in half, the two figures, although tiny, are placed to perfectly balance the dominating diagonals. a good example of the appreciation of photographic weight. although the picture is of a moving figure, there is a curiously static quality to the image. The highlight is placed to emphasise the Running Man and the dramatic, brooding monochrome treatment positively oozes an atmosphere that suits the image and emphasises the spare composition. a superb image.

Nat Coalson aRPS also, the rhythm created by the repeating vertical bars gets faster and faster as we go from left to right. This kind of timing is important to recognise in the design of an image: smaller intervals take less time for the eye to travel, creating a feeling of quickness in traversing that region of the image.

To say that this image has a strong composition is an understatement. The bold, deceptively simple visual structure of the picture attracts attention and creates compelling engagement. The large, triangle-shaped reflection immediately directs our gaze to the silhouetted figure on the right which, although tiny within the frame, carries massive strength within the composition.

The running figure provides an important focal point, concentrating and distilling the viewer’s attention to a minuscule point. This is a great example of a key principle in photographic design: an element in the composition need not be large in order to carry enormous weight and power. in this case, high contrast and sharp, fine detail are enough to capture and hold our attention.

But the supreme finishing touch on this image, the cherry on the cake, is the second figure to the left of the frame, which looks like a person walking two dogs. at first glance, this second figure appears to be a reflection of the running man; only on closer inspection do we see it’s another person entirely. The symmetry created between the two figures also emphasises and strengthens the mirror effect of the reflection, thus we have mirroring and “visual echoes” along both the vertical and horizontal axes. When we take the time to look, the subtle differences between the two figures create a real visual treat. creating a photograph like this takes a certain amount of pre-visualisation and planning, along with an intimate understanding of the subject (and of how pictures work, in general), along with a large measure of timing and good luck. Very well done!

The monochrome processing further strengthens the composition by removing the potential for distraction with the influence of colour. This image is about strength, power and motion, and the black-and-white treatment conveys this very effectively.