Field Trip 1: Rooftops


(wide angle) looking to the streets below, a string of cars and buses are all captured


(zoom) to the mirror across


(focus) miscellaneous wiring, unkempt


(crop) melded into the city


(bird’s eye) street-level yellow lights bleed upwards


(worm’s eye) dauntingly alone


(first person) l’appel du vide
The rooftop is a setting that is blissfully above the bustle of street-level Hong Kong. It is untouched by most, appearing almost foreign, yet still allowing the viewer to catch a glimpse of the lives that are led below. In this photo, I am leaning just over the railing of the enclosed space looking down into the residential building block. This image is framed in such a way that guides the viewer to the center of the photo – the perspective leads the eye to the slightly red glow at the bottom, inciting interest. There is a use of chiaroscuro that illustrates a sense of fear, unknown, and desolation; yet the lights from the rooms below also suggest that the building is not lifeless. Placing the viewer in a first person perspective, the photo thus instills more excitement in the reactions that come with the thrill of experiencing what it is like to be on a rooftop; to be above it all. 


(skewed angle) center focus on the red figure


(perspective) the railings boldly direct the viewers eye of the point of perspective; the figure at the end


(view frame) looking through a window, through a window / the inside and outside of the building are lit in different hues


(seriality) a simple framing of the doorway. who enters, who stops, who passes by?


(chiaroscuro) emphasising the unknown of the darkness

 

1 thought on “Field Trip 1: Rooftops

  1. Kenrick says:

    I like your interests in elevations and strong perspectives. I can see the tensions. Most photos are quite strong in expressing the space using grids of the surroundings such as the facade and the flooring. If focused on that, this trip album will even stronger!

    Reply

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