23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
Ascent/Descent

Ascent/Descent. This image transforms an ornate, sunlit Baroque staircase into a graphic, two-dimensional pattern. The composition emphasizes the stark horizontal and vertical geometry of the stone. By waiting for the figures to align into a singular, uninterrupted line of ascension and descent, perfectly juxtaposing the fleeting human journey against the monumentality of the architecture.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Budapest, Hungary
Camera: ILCE-6600
Copyright: © Arbaaz Galab