The joy of simplicity

She prefers a simple image, and that’s exactly what Ina Nienaber of Vanderbijlpark accomplished here.

“I shot this pic near Kriel in Mpumalanga. The scene takes me back to my childhood: you get a sense of loneliness, but you also feel the peace in nature that you then admire as if it were a painting. By draining the photo of colour (I did that afterward on my Samsung Galaxy J5 phone), the simplicity stands out even more. But it’s a simplicity that has lots to say. The road disappears in the distance, which brings the focal point forward because you are trying to see further down the road.”

With all the changes Ina has made to the original image, we’re certainly looking at an artwork rather than a photo. With the slight colour in the photo, it feels as if the scene dates back to the 1930s, and you expect a vintage car to appear on the road any moment now.

The editing software darkens the corners of the photo (vignette), and one loses detail – in the dark sections and also in details such as the edges of the trees.The focal point is certainly the end of the road. But it’s physically the centre of the pic, which is not ideal but works well with the theme.

The composition relies on symmetrical elements, but the shadows on the road as well as the branches that look like messy hair break the formal balance. The dark parts of the trees also balance neatly with the road.

You’re right, Ina, the simplicity says a lot in this photo.