An Invitation

One of the many theories of composition is that a good picture invites you into it. The viewer should feel intrigued by the view and be set wondering what is through that door, or round that corner. Well, it's just a theory, so let's try some examples...


Here is a view down some of the Painswick Yews that carries with it the invitation to explore.




And here is a lucky alignment of arches and windows in a dissolved Monastery in the Yorkshire Dales. Each doorway or window offers an opportunity to go further into the image.





And here is a narrow alley in Florence. Here the deep shadows and the distant sky draws you towards the figures further down the lane.




This theory of invitation is what draws me to poke my camera down alleys and side lanes, generally annoying those around me...

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