Two Pictures, Different Feelings

A picture is worth a thousand words. Mostly these thousand words are solely up to the
viewer’s interpretation. A single picture can tell stories, evoke sad and happy feelings, or even
make people feel like a part of the event they never witnessed. Here we have two photographs,
nameless and authorless. Nevertheless, they don’t fail at engaging us in the very mysterious
fabric of two separate, yet somehow similarly enticing realities. In both photographs, we can see
a rather gloomy scenery, but many aspects differ in the composition of these pictures.

In the first picture, we can see two dim figures overlooking what looks to be the San-
Francisco Bridge. The human silhouettes, standing rather close to each other, look like a father
and a son. They’re simply standing on the hill, looking at the bridge, completely sunk in mist.
The bridge, the hills and the father-son figures are contoured in black, the sky above them seems
rather menacing, as if threatening everything below with downpour. The human shadows are
positioned at the very right side of the photograph, overlooking their surroundings, suggesting
that even though they’re part of such appalling scenery, there’s still an inexplicable gap between
them and the harmony of their surroundings. The figures mingle with the hills, as if their
importance is no bigger than that of rock. The periphery is dark, but this helps the foreground
stand out and sharpen the center of focus.

In the second picture, we see a yacht-like figure in the water, facing a raging waterfall. The
space behind the waterfall is cloaked in pitch-black darkness. However, there are some sun rays
reflected on the surface of a portion of the water. The yacht is far from both the waterfall and the
area on which the sun is shining down. Put in juxtaposition with rest of the scenery, the yacht
itself is outlined and is the second dark object along with the space behind the waterfall. The
sun’s rays are spread directly over one of the rocks. The yacht, being the main center of focus,
seems lost, but the lighter foreground suggests no intimidation. The periphery is dark, but the
lighting coming from the sun rays helps the rest of the scenery pop out and be in the center of
attention.

There are many underlying layers to both pictures. In the first photograph, the two figures
are tilted over to the side. This suggests that whatever they’re looking at is more important and
impressive than them, since the author of the photograph didn’t place them in the center.
Looking at the bridge, being the beacon of strength, reliability, and endless journey, it almost
feels as if the father is lecturing the son about life. The inexistence of the necessity for this
lecturing is shown with the wide scenery around them, as if the nature has chosen to pay no
attention to them, and however long they may stay on the hill, the fog won’t leave. The
emotional intensity is very low in this picture since the silhouettes are simply observing the view
but not giving out anything in return. In the second picture, the mood is slightly less gloomy.
Nay, in this one, there is a significant implication of hope. The sun rays, bearing the role of hope,
show that the yacht, which somehow seems to be stuck in one place, has a way out. Though it is
still in the dark, being surrounded by the shadows, the light will guide its way. Note that here the
yacht is placed very proportionally in the center of the photograph – this plays a huge role in
communicating to the viewer to ignore the darkness behind the waterfall, the uneven rocks that
could potentially cause trouble, and only focus on the yacht, which will unconditionally be on
the move very soon.

Two photographs depict two different sceneries. Though sharing somehow similar
atmosphere on the surface, the two pictures greatly differ in mood and composition once
observed in detail. The first one is associated with stillness, simple observation without any
action. However outlined the two figures may be, their importance is seemingly less than their
surroundings. The second one is much livelier, shows determination, courage and strong will.
The yacht, even if abandoned, is left with a tiny speck of hope that’s brought to life by the sun
rays. These two pictures draw a clean line between movement and immobility.