Bless or Curse?

I took this photograph standing behind the statue, looking out over the marina. The choice of viewpoint was deliberate—front-facing statues are expected, almost ceremonial; from behind, they become more ambiguous. Without the expression to guide us, the outstretched arms could be offering a blessing to the yachts in the bay, or perhaps condemning their excess.

The composition is simple but layered. The statue dominates the left third of the frame, creating a strong vertical anchor, while the open space of the sea and sky fills the rest. The boats, scattered across the water, offer points of visual interest without competing for attention. The horizon is placed high enough to balance the weight of the foreground, and the slight diagonal of the coastline adds a quiet dynamism to an otherwise static scene.

Exposure was straightforward in the soft, overcast light. The diffuse sky kept shadows gentle and allowed for detail in the folds of the statue’s robe without blowing out the clouds. The pale marble against the muted blue-grey of the sea and sky gave me a natural, almost monochromatic palette, which I chose to preserve rather than artificially enhance.

What I like most here is the tension in interpretation. The statue, faceless from this angle, forces the viewer to project their own reading—divine welcome or silent warning? The photograph offers no answer, and perhaps that’s its strength.