Pre-Writing Assignment 2

The image I selected for my documentary photograph is, in my mind, a very beautiful picture. There are many different aspects of the photo, however, that make it that way. First, there is only one person in the photograph. That little girl is looking away from the camera and out towards the water. Therefore, the vector of attention is shifted away from the audience. With this speculation comes one main question from the audience. What is the little girl looking at? With her whole body and face facing away from the camera and out towards the water, you can’t help but wonder what has enchanted her out there. With the vector of attention shifted away from the audience, you also get the feel of being an outsider looking in on this photograph. The person in the photo isn’t looking at you, but you are looking quite intently at them.

There are other photographical effects that raise questions about the picture and give it its own unique style. The framing and cropping of the photo bring a few thoughts to mind. The way this photo is cropped makes me wonder more about the location of the photo. There appears to be another dock to the right of the picture, but it’s cropped off so you can’t really tell if that’s what it is or not. Also, you don’t get the whole idea of how large or small the lake is. Is it a private owned lake? Is it residential? Is it a fairly large lake that people just come to for the day or week to get away? There appear to be homes on the other side of the lake, which gives it the feel that it may be a residential, private lake, but you just can’t tell from looking at it.

In my opinion, the lighting is what makes this photograph so beautiful. The colors are so vivid and bold, which draws your attention in. There are quite a few hues that contrast each other. There is the subtle light periwinkle and pink colors in the clouds up top, but as your eyes travel lower in the picture, the hues get more vibrant. The periwinkle and pink slowly transforms into a bright yellow and then on the outline of the trees and in the reflection on the lake is a very bright, bold pink and orange. These colors work together to create a masterpiece and really draw the audience into the photo. The saturation of the photo also contributes to the boldness. There is a possibility that this photo’s saturation wasn’t messed with too much, but there is also a possibility that the developer made the colors more deep and rich for a more soulful and calming feel to the photo. The way the colors stick out and the trees and houses in the background are so dark makes me wonder if the saturation has been adjusted just a little. The photo isn’t particularly bright, but it isn’t dark either. It has areas of both, which give it a realistic feel. It does an excellent job of drawing you in and giving you the feel that you are there on the beach with that little girl.