X Factor

Balconies of the Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia © Doug Hickok
(Click on image for larger view)


When I visited the Fox Theatre in Atlanta last summer, my goal was to frame an image that illustrated the variety of brickwork on its facade. The X in the brickwork of this foreground balcony caught my eye, so I sought to make it the focus of my photograph. But, I also wanted to include the rounded Moorish arch over the window as a counter balance to the X.


Just as I was thinking about my composition, the sun came out from behind the clouds, illuminating the X. This emphasized the X, while leaving the background window in shadow. Lastly, a tilt of the camera... just enough to make the horizontal lines slightly diagonal... made the image more dynamic.


Composing a photograph is sometimes like putting a puzzle together. When something unusual happens, like the burst of sunlight, then that extra twist, the X factor, puts the final piece in place.