photos 2: contrast and affinity

I think the lines of this photo create a sort of directional affinity. This is a erosion play table in the Thanksgiving Point dinosaur museum, and it's always lined by kids making various islands and structures in the sand. The shape of the table is long and curved, which makes for an interesting line disappearing into the background of the photo. The extended shape even ties the children together, and luckily they're all wearing similar monochrome clothing, an arrangement made up of grays and blues. The boy in the front left of the photo gives the image structure and flow, as the observer's eye works from him and follows the table all the way to the blurred background.


The contrast in this photo is created primarily by color. The photo was shot shadow side, making the girl's face, hair, and clothing darker than her surroundings. What the eye is immediately drawn to, then, is the bright red balloon. It's more vibrant than anything else in the photo, and also a completely different shape. What I do wish is that the lines of the photo were pointing more directly to the balloon, and maybe that more of the balloon was visible. I think that would add to the draw of the balloon's color and make it more of a vivid contrast element.


The tonal contrast in this photo is similarly created by shadow, but in the sense that the focus of the photo is cast in shadow. The world around the girls, and the tree they're playing in, is brightly lit and sunny - it almost seems as if they're supposed to be there, playing in the sun. The tree is contrastingly dark, but full of life. The girls have turned it into a place of innocent fun, a place to escape the bright sun. I think it's interesting - though it wasn't intentional - that all their faces are turned away. It distances them from the observer, but also allows the observer to imagine what their expressions are and what they're thinking.