Analysis

This photo is in black and white, which adds seriousness to the image, giving it a somewhat somber tone. When you look at the coloring of the photograph it doesn't look warm and comforting, it seems somewhat cold and uninviting. The artist also seems to use a lot of contrast between the black and the white, to grab your attention. The use of the lighter wall and white T-shirt on the child compared to the black figure makes it stand out much more. Also the curb on the bottom of the picture; painted white on the sides, and dark in the middle, draws the observer's attention to the middle of the photograph.
The use of the graffiti in the background helps give the observer an idea of the setting the picture was taken in. The aged wall with paint chipping and graffiti all over it implies that it is in an older, more run down neighborhood. Maybe implying that it is a part of town most people are scared to be in? The fact that the child is in fast motion also adds an element of fear, like he is running from something.
The large black figure also adds quite a bit of fear to the photo. With pointed ears like a bat, and the way the figure is positioned, as if hovering over the child. The black figure is superimposed on to the photo, giving it more significance; if the artist purposely put it in there, then it must have important meaning.
I believe the artist is trying to make a statement regarding the pressures and fears of today's youth. The dark figure with drugs and alcohol that the child is running away from, but can't because it is his own shadow.