The Long Way Up

I’ve always been drawn to stairways — not for their architectural elegance, but for what they suggest about human effort. This photograph, taken in a steep Italian hill town, is less about the stones and more about the person halfway up, leaning forward into the climb, each step a small battle against gravity and fatigue.

From a compositional standpoint, I deliberately placed the vanishing point at the top of the stairs, where the light spills in from the open street beyond. The walls on either side act as vertical guides, forcing the viewer’s eye along the incline toward the lone figure. The choice of black and white wasn’t an afterthought; colour here would have been a distraction. Stripping it away allowed the contrast between the dark stone and the lighter sky to sharpen, enhancing the texture in the weathered steps and old masonry.

Exposure was a challenge. The scene contained both deep shadows in the narrow stairway and brighter highlights in the distant street. I exposed for the mid-tones to keep detail in the stonework while preventing the figure from sinking into silhouette. The result leaves some areas of the background just on the edge of blowing out, but I accept that as part of the compromise — a truthful rendering of a high-contrast winter’s day.

Technically, the image works, though there’s a slight tilt to the right which, while unintentional, contributes to a subtle feeling of imbalance, almost echoing the physical strain of climbing. The railings add a strong linear element, and their repetition accentuates the length and steepness of the staircase.

What I like most is the human scale — a single person against the weight of stone and slope, embodying persistence. In that small bend of their posture is the quiet poetry of endurance.