People like this shot.. why...

In a beer induced moment of bordeom at the pub I lined up this shot and didn't think much of it. People have commented on the fact they like it and I am hard pressed to understand why... any thoughts..

http://blog.paulsveda.com/_photos/2005.01.11.pic.01.jpg

It has a very nice sense of depth, warmth and the shapes make you want to guess what they are.
You never know where the next great shot is lurking.

I think it's because depth of field is a factor in almost every photograph that people really like. It's just something that draws the eye in, and in this case, makes the mind try to discern what it is behind the fence, and why it's there....

I think recently, in the past 20-30 years, pictures of just normal things have really been appealing to the public. The vividness of the chains and the blurriness of the background also has kind of a 'mystic' feel.

I like the warm color, the contrast of shapes and the fact that each part of the photo has an interesting element to it.

Paul, like any abstract imagery, some will like it and some won't, and it's often a challenge to analyze why...

IMO, this shot has got a few things going for it. The most obvious is the extremely tight crop, which is what in fact makes the shot abstract, giving the viewer (or most anyway) just enough visual information to partially make out what this is. Oh, and yes, the fence being in focus, symmetrical, and quickly recognizable plays nicely off the soft, more organic looking bg object.

Second, you've in effect created what amounts to a "dual" composition, almost like one photo layered on top of another. It gives the shot a nice depth, and the viewer's eye naturally alternates between the foreground and background, but not in an annoying vibrating way.

Finally, as others have mentioned, the slight overexposure of the bg gives it a sort of industrial warmth that (to me anyway) has a kind of glowing mechanical feel to it.

I think this would be great image to discuss in the Art Forum, as many times interesting and artistic images like this are created accidentally...

Thanks all...

I can agree that in an abstract manner it puzzles the viewer, perhaps making them linger a little longer and concider what it is they are looking at. Now I'm left wondering how to get into the mind set of shooting like this without over thinking every shot. Perhaps I need to drink more beer before picking up the camera! :).. I keeed I keeed.

By the way, I do agree that the average person takes more pictures of everday objects that some would concider boring. I was digging through old negative from high school and my father. I noticed how as I moved further into the 70's, 60's and so on the pictures grew more structured and focused on people.

Anyways, I digress, thank you all for your input...

/* goes to grab a beer and his camera....