Ladder

I took this photograph in Nov 2009 during a phase of "Urban Exploration" - inspired by the photography of Tom "Mr.Motts" Kirsch. Motts devotes his time to exploring and photographing disused buildings across the world, his fascinating exhibitions are documented on his website -www.opacity.us.

I photographed this tower whilst exploring the disused factory behind Dalton Mill - nestled away in Keighley's industrial estate. Though I took a few of this to correct the framing, this shot was more or less unplanned. While reviewing the day's images, this spur-of-the moment shot quickly became on of my favourites for many reasons:

Firstly is the perspective - As the steps of the ladder and the rings get closer and eventually merge, it becomes difficult to gauge how tall the structure is.

Lines - the two sides of the ladder stretch from the bottom corners to the centre of the image, not only drawing your eyes to the centre, but giving the viewer a strong sense of place within the image.

Framing - the darker base of the ladder, and the structure with three supports at the top of the picture act as a frame, to hold the more detailed section of the image in the center.

Contrast - the bleak sky contrasts with the metalwork to the point that it appears almost black. At first glance, a viewer would assume that the composition consists of only two colours - black and white. This adds to the images strength and simplicity.

Asymmety - I like how the symmetry of the image is disrupted by the warped metalwork, as well as walkways towards the top of the tower. I also like how the seperate structure leans into the left hand side of the composition, this adds character to the image which would otherwise be too stark.

^The same tower from a different angle. I took this to highlight the detail on the metalwork.