Skylar Coleman - Portrait/Landscape

Paul D'Amato

This portrait photo is taken by Paul D'Amato from his Italian journey series. The way the man is set along the edge of the columns and framing of the doorway goes perfectly with the diagonally of his leg straight into the inside of the building. The slight lightning coming in from the opening places subtle highlights against his hat and face. The way his cigarette smoke is swirling above him perfectly frames the shape of his hat to his hand and keeps your eye moving with the smoke smoothly over those borders. I think the way his hand is placed on his thigh and how his left leg is positioned bent bring this photo together. He appears very relaxed and at ease casually smoking his cigarette in what could be early morning. The pop of color from his pink belt against his navy sweater and khaki pants also make this photo more visually appealing for me. The spread of coins on the ground also gives me the feeling that D'Amato took the time to strategically place these things a certain way.

In his landscape photo, taken from his series Barrio, shows the view from on top of a roof. He chose the time of day carefully and possibly even waited for a cloudy day to get this kind of effect. The clouds provide a separation from the lighter sky and is darker the closer it is to the camera. The colors of the cars and buildings provides contrast against the street, sidewalk, and sky. The diagonal in the street draws your eye way into the picture and corresponds with the diagonal of the roof in which D'Amato is standing on. The three water towers (or whatever they are) is also captivating and contrasting against the white of the sky.