Compression is a term in photography that is used to describe the flattening of three-dimensional space down to 2 dimensions. Longer lenses that magnify a scene are the best to create compression and you can see that effect here.
The combination of shooting zoomed out and lining up the stairs at a 45 degree angle takes the depth out of the photo and creates the illusion that all of the rails are vetically aligned.
This type of composition in and of itself doesn't translate to a good photo. Compression can enhance a good composition, but it can't save an uninteresting one.
Here I like the shapes created by the stairway and the pattern on the stairway. The mix of red and green is pleasing and the rusty color of the stairway works well with the earthy tones of the green ivy and faded wood door in the corner.
I like the final image here and think it works well within the rest of my compressions series, which I hope to continue through the end of the year.