Contrast, Harmony, and Balance

Since I am such a fan of National Geographic's photography I chose this photo because I think it has some good factors when it comes to contrast, harmony, and balance.

There is a large amount of contrast in this photo. The bright light illuminating the tent as well as the green trails of light swirling across the sky are the only sources of light bringing the eye's attention directly to these elements, however, these sources of light provide a soft outline of the trees and landscape in the background providing dramatic contrast for this photo. Also it is a nice detail on the contrast of the snow shoes against the tents as well.

This picture is harmonious to me because it is peaceful. I imagine making camp in the wilderness where it is so quiet and I feel this picture reflects that. The soft light of the tent combined with the pretty greens of the northern lights create a calming effect. It makes me want to sit with a cup of hot chocolate, watch the lights, then crawl into that little tent to warm up. It is also harmony to me because it is natural as well as at night which is a time of rest and relaxation.

I find the balance of this photo to be asymmetrical as it should be. Initially my eye starts at the top of the photo following the ribbons of green light all lead to the central focal point of the top of the pine trees which are completely black and void of detail so my eye follows the outline of these trees to the illuminated tent and finally to the snow shoes leaning up against it. This isn't I would say a balanced path for the eye to follow but I think it is part of what makes this photo interesting just like the Rule of Thirds suggests. Try to put more balance into this photo and I find it would make it boring.

I love how all elements of this photo come together to provide a stunning visual of what it would be like to camp in the Alaskan wilderness and witness such a beautiful occcurence in nature.

Visceral Response

This image is known as Ghost by Peter Lik and when I saw this photo for the first time it ignited my love for photography. The S-curvature of the lines in the rock provides a natural frame for the silhouette of the human figure. The sunlight illuminating the ghost before you draws your eye to this subject in such a striking manner. To me it creates a sense of mystery and peace at the same time. I imagine hiking through this canyon where it is so quiet and calm leaning against that rock wall watching this figure form before my eyes. It gives a sense of life to a place that seems no living thing could thrive. The thing I find so wonderful about this is that it occurred in nature. No person set this up it was a moment I am able to experience through another person's eyes which to me is the most powerful thing about photography. A visual explanation of people's perspective and how they view the world.