Edmonton Photo of the Week

This is the first in what is hopefully a weekly post showcasing some of Edmonton's great photographers and photographs. There is a surprisingly large photographic community here, providing a unique and personal view of the city.

Here we have Silver Skate Festival - Abstract, from Flickr user Nelson-77, who kindly allowed me to feature his image. It was taken at Hawrelak Park during the Silver Skate Festival (as you likely guessed) and depicts plywood rope stands. I think this is an excellent photo for a few reasons:

First, the repeating pattern combined with the gradually fading focus from left to right and back to front delivers great visual interest. Your eye is drawn to all parts of the photo. Second, the black and white treatment renders the pattern more starkly than colour would have. But most of all, Nelson-77 has demonstrated that even when Edmonton is a bleak, frozen, pastry-coloured mess, there are still engaging and beautiful things to photograph.

It looks even better large.