Contrast

Week 5

Contrast

February 5, 2011

Sometimes looking at an image in stark contrast leaves an indelible impression, a more lasting and clear memory of what is being beheld. I'm no color or visual arts expert, but it seems that boldly contrasting colors, or contrast provided by light & dark (as with the image above) simplifies, lends clarity, and enhances the image. The components of the image that oppose one another also seem to give vibrance and attention to their opposite elements. The tree seems to point out the interesting cloud consistency in a manner it may not have if there were more color and detail in the hillside. Likewise, the boldness of the silhouetted tree and hilltop would not be as prominent if the sky were darker and less dynamic.

I think similarly, moments and aspects in our lives can be more vivid when viewed in relief against the events and circumstances in the lives of those near us, or in our own changing environments. Our appreciation of the small studio apartment we live in shifts when we are exposed to the corrugated metal and cardboard shanty shared by a family of 5 outside of Manila, Kampala, or Port au Prince. The 60 hour work week or underpaid position that we bemoan is mourned when lost and replaced with joblessness. The beauty of human relationships emerges with clarity when conspicuously absent through loss, and conversely grief is more poignant the greater we love and value what is no longer ours.

Diversity, breadth of experience and cultures... contrast... these things lend a richness to our human journey that I, for one, am thankful for. It's a richness and depth that is a gift, one I don't think we can be truly aware of until we experience it, and that is worthy of being sought after.

image taken with Canon 5DMII, 70-200 2.8L lens, 1/1000sec @f11, ISO 400