Contrast, Balance, Harmony

This is a picture my brother took last winter on an old train bridge near Snoqualmie Pass in Washington state. It was taken on a sunny day after some light snowfall while my family was all hiking in the mountains to look for a Christmas tree. The bridge seems to disappear into the line of black and white trees, which is part of the reason this picture looks awesome to me. Besides the story behind the photo, the contrast, balance, and harmony of the image makes it especially beautiful to me. 

There is stark contrast within this image. Without the corner of sky in the corner, one may think the photo is in black and white. The pure white of the snow is contrasted with the black of the shadows under each of the tree branches and the bridge. The uniformity of color and tone of the trees and bridge is contrasted with the bright rays of light coming from the sky in the upper right corner of the picture. The smooth snow on the bridge is also contrasted by the sharper looking texture of the trees. The striking black and white trees brings almost a cold, ominous feeling to the image, which is contrasted by the warm, blurred sunlight. 

There is also a lot of balance within this photo. The largest part of the bridge is following the rule of thirds, so the continuity leads your eye into the center of the image as it grows smaller. Finally, there is a lot of harmony within this image. Everything in the photo fits together. It seems like the trees and the bridge were placed in the image to match. The bridge literally becomes a part of the trees as it disappears into the forest and it almost seems like the trussels are growing out of the trees. It makes the bridge look like it could be growing out of the forest, creating harmony between the industrialization of bridges built for trains and the nature around it. Everything fits together in this photo and is completely harmonic. 

This image of this high train bridge in the forest follows all the principles of Gestalt to make it seem like it is all one form. It is what makes this image so fun for me to look at.