After spending some time walking around the UMass- Boston campus on Tuesday, I found these two relatively hidden spots to take photographs using photo composition tricks I learned in the study materials for my Multimedia Authoring course.

The first image on the left makes use of leading lines and diagonals to draw the viewer in, highlighting the different textures and patterns present in this image. The second image on the right also makes use of diagonals, but from a further back perspective, allowing for the addition of depth to the overall composition.

I tried with both images to make use of the “Rule of Thirds”, placing interesting diagonals on the imaginary lines dividing up the image. For more information on that theory, click the link here. In the image on the right, there is a large building standing starkly upright; originally I thought this to be a feature of the photo, but now I feel that it throws off the balance of the image due to the blank open sky in the top left section of the picture.

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Because of the issues raised above with the second image, I chose next to manipulate the image on the left:

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I chose to make these edits because I found the redness of the bricks to be very interesting and visually appealing. I also enjoy how it warps the mirrored surface in the left third of the frame, making it look like wood or concrete as opposed to a shiny metallic surface.

While enhancing the red hues, I had to decide whether to lean into the shadows in the image, or remove them; I chose to deepen them because it made the diagonal lines of the brick wall and the rusted pipe stand out in greater contrast to the less visually exciting concrete wall behind them.

Overall, I am happy with this version of the image because it takes on an “otherworldy” aspect to it, and feels like it has something to say about modern infrastructure and the emphasis on quality vs. timeliness of construction.

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Editing software used: Picsart (app)