Mind The Gap!

I made this photograph standing almost flush with the wall, pointing the lens straight up into the thin slice of sky framed by stone and metal. The subject is not the building itself but the uneasy conversation between its decaying ornamentation and the open void above. The fractured balcony edges lean toward each other without touching, creating a tension in the composition that pulls the viewer’s eye toward the bright gap.

From a compositional standpoint, the choice of perspective is both a strength and a limitation. The severe upward angle forces strong converging lines, which add a sense of depth and slight unease. However, the proximity of the elements means there’s little breathing room at the edges — an intentional constraint that works here, but might feel cramped to some.

Technically, the exposure handles the challenge of contrasting light well. The bright clouds retain detail without the shadows in the stonework collapsing entirely into black. Still, there’s a hint of crushed shadow in the balcony supports, which, while preserving the brooding atmosphere, sacrifices some texture. The lens distortion from shooting upward is present but not distracting; it actually contributes to the visual push toward the sky.

The tonal contrast between the gritty stone and the luminous sky is where the image’s strength lies. This is a photograph about materials and time — the erosion of the man-made against the constancy of the sky — with that narrow, untouchable gap acting as both barrier and connection.