Visceral Response

This is a photo that invokes a powerful Visceral Response for me that is absolutely stupefying. It was taken during on my last weekend home during the latest winter break. I was on an early morning run next to the Snoqualmie River near Mt. Si in Snoqualmie, Washington, just before sunrise when I snapped the picture. Exploring the forest and the rivers around by home is Washington state is something I grew up doing, which is why each time I see an image of the Washington wilderness like this one. I have many memories splashing through the river and climbing the mountain, so when I look at this photo, I feel anxious like I need to start running and exploring what is beyond the line of trees in the photo. I also have the urge to take of my shoes and start wading through the cold, refreshing water.

There are many reasons from a design standpoint that this image can create a Visceral Response. There are so many different lines in the image going in all different locations. The strongest lines are the hard, horizontal line of the riverbank and the straight, diagonal line of the mountain side. There are also a bunch of lines in the lower third of the image among the fallen trees. Some of the focal points of the image are the strong horizontal lines of the trees, especially the one front and center. 

The colors of this image also draw me into the image. There are the different shades of muted greens and browns in the trees, mountainside, and river. But it's the sharp blue and amber colors of the sky that is the focus of color in the photo. The golds in the emerging sunrise behind the trees contrasts with the blue in the top of the sky. The subtle gold draws my eyes to the corner of the photo and makes me want to find out what is beyond the mountain in the distance.

Although the images in the photo are not up close, there is a palpable texture throughout the picture. There is the almost soft, carpet-like texture of the trees on the mountain. There is the slightly smooth and rippling texture of the river. And there is the shiny rough texture of the trees in the river. The overall texture of this photo is contrasting soft and stark, which draws me in.

This picture of the moment standing by the river almost makes me breath in the cool mountain air and hear the bubbling of the water. This Visceral Response really makes me want to dive into the photo and be part of that moment again.