A Single Small Figure

The challenge for this exercise was to be able to find somewhere in London where a single figure would enter the frame. I decided the back or side of a building might offer me more opportunities.  The image here is the back of St Martins in the Fields.  I liked the uniformity of the windows and in particular the shapes in the central window. This turned into a waiting game. Lots of couples walked by. I also wanted someone in neutral colours. Wearing red would have made the figure more prominent in the picture.  My interpretation of the exercise was to make the person appear small, so someone in black or grey was what I was after.  Eventually this person walked into the frame.  I chose him walking out of the frame for two reasons. First when he came around the corner he was facing me, I wanted him more anonymous. Secondly I wanted to try and match him to the dark grey stone on the pavement. I felt that positioning him in this spot accentuated the size of the building and was placed so at first he isn't obvious.  Putting a figure in a picture like this, keeps the building the main feature of the picture, but adds interest and also scale to the image.

I have taken a second image similar to the one above but this time complying with the rule that the figure should walk into the frame not out of it. Is it better balanced? Probably it is.  The second image also has a curved white line leading to the figure.  This also helps to give the picture better balance. The lighting is also better in the second image giving more depth to the scene.

I am still happy with the first image but the second one shows that you can do better by waiting for all the components to come together.