Alex Maclean
Composition
This beach scene was photographed using a aerial angle. It is asymmetrically balanced because, the photo is well balanced on each side but each side of the photograph is not exactly the same. The rule of thirds is present in this photo. There are three main parts to it, the ocean, the people, and the sand. The main subject in the piece is the beach itself and the people on it. What makes this piece successful is the horizontal lines that are created by the people as well as the color that draws the eye throughout the photo. Since it is horizontally shot there is not a sense of depth with foreground, middleground, and background. The photo is more flat and long rather than deep and tall, which does create depth.
Artistic Qualities
What makes this photograph interesting is the point of view. Beach scenes are usually photographed from straight on to show the depth of the beach and the amount of people on it. Those types of shots make the people look large and in your face. What Maclean did was photograph it from a aerial view to show the entirety of the beach and make the people seem small, almost like dolls in a doll house.