Part of the Tobogganers series.
There’s something about the composition here that works for me. I can’t articulate why.
—Peter.
Part of the Tobogganers series.
There’s something about the composition here that works for me. I can’t articulate why.
—Peter.
Prosophos 
Because.
Amazing!
Perhaps the mess of verticals makes figures more human…
It’s the composition (in a technical sense) I’m referring to, not the juxtaposition of elements.
Composition is usually refered to its elements.
Say it would be a painting with equal lines of different colors.
But, well the mother’s head is just in one of the rule of thirds corners, her body makes one of its lines balanced by the opposite tree.
In the case you believe in that rule.
That explanation makes sense. The juxtaposition of verticals with the children to make the “figures more human” does not, hence my initial response to you.
That’s was my first sight:
The sense of chaos in trees contrasting with your family.
My amateurish analysis:
On the upper part of the image you have stability. Horizontal tree trunks, that are also combined with the long horizontal branch to frame the children within rectangular frames. In the middle you have the diagonal line of the ground that creates a dynamic contrast between the upper “stable” part of the image vs the “unstable” lower part of the image which is the slopping ground. The image captures a nice contrast between the current (stable) state of the children vs the (unstable) fun part where they will be in a few seconds…
Interesting your remark about that frame.
You take horizontal for rather diagonal and alround unsharpness for stabilty
Sloping from right to left with trunk forming “4th element” on the horizon. One human element standing and 4th element (tree) catch the two sitting. Depth and perspective of children in the environment. Lovely back light.
I think this comes the closest, right or wrong, to my own thinking.
As much elements found maybe that sentence might help
“analysing sense of humor is like disecting a frog: both die in the attempt”
It’s pretty much been covered above.
The way the branches provide frames I think is a key part of the composition success here.
That said, I don’t think it is composition that is driving success in this image, it is light and colour. We immediately feel the coldness of the scene — the foreground snow now past dusk light and the tree in cool deep shadow. And then your family in bright fuchsias, echoed by the faint sunset light behind them. I think perspective comes back in here to assist – their elevated position toward the horizon line.
Great picture.
Ah! Just saw this was 300mm. Of course! Back to composition and that tree branch framing, the effect is assisted by the focal length here – what would seem more 3-dimensional closer in, is rendered more 2-dimensionally by the compression effect.