Story Behind the Image - Structure and Geometry, Baku

A monumental gateway—precise, calm, and quietly vast. The patterned ceiling reads like fine lace against the solid white frame, its delicate geometry contrasting with the architectural weight around it. Below, a single figure passes through, and in that instant the true scale becomes unmistakable.

I made this in Baku. I kept seeing this structure on the route between the hotel and my work location and knew I wanted to photograph it. By the time I could get out there it was late afternoon—towards the end of the job—and the light had shifted from the softer mornings when I first noticed it. The lighting wasn't how I had imagined it, nor how I'd seen it earlier, but I only had one chance to capture this image. However the light fell, it simply had to do.

Framing was key. I centred the composition to emphasize the verticals and the sheer magnitude of the structure. The curved wall helped shape the image, drawing the eye inward and framing the smaller central element lower in the frame. I wanted to create a clear sense of scale, and the person walking through the scene provided that crucial human reference. Without our subject moving along, this image wouldn't carry the same impact or feeling of proportion.