Where does this road lead? It doesn’t seem to matter...

We often make plans, use maps, follow strategies and enjoy the illusion of knowing how our life is going to unfold. To some extent we do control many aspects of it and a lot of what happens is a direct consequence of our actions, but so much is a pure chance - accidental, random, unexpected, both extremely generous or utterly unfair with no rhyme or reason.

Art and creativity in general help us explore that and there is a particular satisfaction in photography which captures existing fragments of reality, yet doesn’t need to feed the brain facts and recognisable data to support the illusion of certainty.

Images like this reference, pinpoint and use spaces and objects to suggest something less obvious than what they actually represent.

They don’t necessarily have to be completely unrecognisable abstractions. Just the focus might be subtly elsewhere from what you would expect. This is what Sam achieved here: instead of following the road, relying on the photo for information and being compelled to act, we rest our attention somewhere in the middle of the image, where there are no obvious answers, clarity or certainty.

Learner’s Tip📸

Look at Sam’s elegant use of both the rule of thirds and diagonals. His perfect compositional balance has a grounding effect and helps us settle into the image even more. Notice how the beautiful light softens the shadows and allows us to explore the gorgeous velvety texture and tones of this moon-like surface. ⠀ ⠀⠀