Compose Your Frame

Since Professor Young wanted us to execute our own picture I decided I was going to try and capture something from our family trip to Fright-fest at Six Flags in Santa Clarita, California during Halloween weekend.  This particular picture however was captured between Venice beach and the Santa Monica Pier, in fact you can see the pier in the background of this picture.

I captured this picture on my iPhone 5s, and it doesn't seem as high quality uploaded on here as it did in my phone, but alas I still love how it turned out.  I was attempting to use the rule of thirds as well as the use of lines, specifically diagonal lines.  By using the diagonal lines it helps me create the frame of the picture. The intent was to guide the viewers eye to the sign.

The sign being the forefront of this photo for me because of the contrast of the yellow to the blue hues of the sky surrounding it.  It pops out and draws the eye immediately to it.  The arrow on the sign acts as a bonus for this picture by coinciding with the diagonal lines that I created with the angle in which I took the picture.

The vertical lines of the trees and the sign work with the diagonal lines to create shape and dimension in this picture. It's essentially creating an arrow of movement for the eye to follow. Overall the shape frames a shape and a focus to what the picture is capturing.

Everything about this picture makes me happy.  Not only am I on a beach in California (which always warms my heart in more ways than one), but the colors make feel welcomed and happy, which plays a psychological game on me.  Begging me to come back and leaving me with the question of, "Where are the lines guiding me to?", and "What's on the left side past the palm trees?".  Sometimes I wonder if other people take a step back and take a second look at something like I do.  As if they are soaking up the natural beauty of what they are observing.  By taking that second to look at something a little longer helps me see the bigger picture, and I feel at one with myself and the world surrounding me. The use of the lines in this picture guide the eye but leave a sense of mystery, which frames the mind to wonder what else is there.