Leading Lines
Run
The subject of this image is a dog running down a snow-packed path. The setting of this image is a landscape with trees in the background and snow in the foreground. To take this image I stood at the start of the path and told my dog to run. As he ran down the path I started taking pictures at a high shutter speed so that the details of the image would be captured. During the editing process, I made the image black and white. The image was very blue when I started because of the reflection of the snow which is why I made the image black and white. Not only that but in my photography, I want the viewer to focus on the detail and the meanings behind my images instead of the color. After making the image black and white, I increased the contrast so that the start of the path was more obvious and also increased the exposure in order to brighten the foreground. To make the background the darkness it is I increased the black point. After adjusting the levels I brought the image into photoshop and clone stamped out a few things. The first thing I got rid of was some leaves and dirt that were in the snow because I felt that they were taking away from the image. The second thing I got rid of was a tree branch. There was one tree in the foreground that had a branch coming out with a lot of leaves on the end. I thought that this made the eye go to more of the right side of the image instead of focusing on the subject. An element of design in this image is value. The Change in value as you move away from the foreground helps to create depth in the image as well as helping the subject stand out. A principle of design in this image is unity. The trees in the background all look relatively the same which helps create a solid pattern throughout the image.One composition rule used in this image is the rule of thirds. The dog, as well as the path, are positioned right on one of the lines splitting the image into thirds. By doing this you can really take in the background, which is very detailed, while still being drawn to the subject that really is conveying the meaning of the image. Another composition rule used in this image is a high horizon line. At first glance, this image looks as though it has a low horizon line, but as you look closer you can see the true horizon line hiding behind the trees. This helps to make the view inspect the image for a longer period of time which is going to help them understand the meaning on a deeper level. When I first went out to take photos I was attempting to get my dog to sit on our front porch right in between the railing. Unfortunately, he was not cooperating and every time I got him to sit down I would walk behind him and he would turn to face me. To solve this problem I decided to mix two of my original ideas together. I still used my dog as the subject but used the setting I was going to use for an image of a person.This image can show either the ending or beginning of a dog’s life. The way that the dog is running away shows the dog passing on, but because of the white foreground, it also looks like a dog being born and starting its journey. This image really shows the cycle of a dog's life. This image relates to my life because my dog is turning 14 in a few weeks and I know that he will not be here much longer. I have known him longer than I have known my own brother and it will be sad to let him go. I really enjoy the meaning behinds this image because I can relate to it. I have watched my dog grow from a puppy into the wonderful dog he is today.