Photo Analysis: Manhattan Bridge

Photo by: @z.a.o_

Let’s Analyse this Image:

Composition & Framing

What works well:

• The framing is pretty clever (more on that in the storytelling part). Shooting through the fence gives the photo an instant layer of depth and context, and it actually frames both the man and the Manhattan Bridge.

• The bridge itself works as a big leading line. It pulls your eye straight toward the middle of the frame, right where our subject is standing. It is a great way to naturally direct attention without it feeling forced (or like a ‘‘too direct’’ leading line).

• The layers are great as well, we have the fence in the foreground, then the basketball court and the walking man, then the bridge, and finally the city in the far background. That layering gives the photo a nice depth + 3D effect.

What could be better:

• The basketball hoop at the top does pull a bit of attention away. It overlaps awkwardly with the fence too. Not a huge deal to be fair, but a slightly different framing angle could have solved that easily.

• The top of the image is a little cramped with all the beams and pipes. If there had been just a bit more breathing room up there, the photo would feel less boxed in and more balanced (again this could have been fixed by framing a bit better right on location).

• The person walking is a little small in the overall frame. It works for scale, but because of that, they risk getting a bit lost against the strong visual pull of the bridge and fence.

Light & Atmosphere

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