Airlie Photo Analysis

In this assignment, we took a photo from our photo essays and described it with its visual elements and composition, as well as the emotional impact and draw.

This is my favorite photo from Airlie, taken by Clair Sapilewski. This photo was most likely taken from a normal, upright standing position, with the camera horizontal in a landscape frame, and focusing on the stone gate to the garden. The focus on the gate and soft focus on the foreground of the garden draw your attention to the gate first because it is in focus, then shift your attention around, as you process the rest of the image. First, the photo shows a great example of the rule of thirds, with the bottom third having the garden maze, the middle third having the gate and brick wall, and the top third showing the tree and foliage. It also shows a great example of the vertical rule of thirds, with the gate to the garden to the left and the middle third, and the rest of the foliage and garden to the right. There's also a great contrast in color, with the greens of the bush mixing well with the blues and purples of the lights and flowers in the bushes, as well as the grays and browns contrasting well with the greens of the foliage. The photo also has a great contrast of brightness, going from light in the bottom to a darker brown, black, and gray in the background at the top. Finally, the garden maze also leads your eyes around with the curving lines of the shadows and depths of the bushes. This photo also uses lines as the horizontal lines of the stone wall shift your focus from left to right, then the maze brings your eyes around the bottom portion, following the lines made from the shadows and depths of the maze.