Written for: English Composition I
Date Written: 10/06/2006
The
Beautiful Contrast
Ryan T. Watters
God’s Bible School & College
The Beautiful Contrast
Ansel Adams
is considered by some to be one of the greatest
photographers of the twentieth century. His work was
done nearly exclusively in black and white, but they
portray such depth that the color is never really
missed. He is particularly known for his wide, sweeping
landscapes. One of his favorite locations to photograph
was Yosemite National Park in California. It was here
that he captured the beautifully contrastive
photo Monolith,
The Face of Half Dome. While
Adams created many enduring photographs during his
trips to Yosemite, I have decided to investigate the
reasons why Monolith
has
captured my attention.
When you look at the Monolith,
you get a
sense of uneasiness; perhaps even a sense of
intimidation. When Adams captured this beautiful scene,
he was obviously at a fairly high altitude. Yet, even
though he ascended so high it is as if the cliff mocks
his efforts and continues to soar unrivaled. The
intimidation is accentuated and strengthened by the
dark, oppressiveness of the preeminent
Monolith.
Let’s look deeper into this photograph.
The first thing one must understand when analyzing a
photograph is that it is made up of many aspects
collectively known as the composition. While the
mountain itself is obviously the most important part of
the picture, it would be meaningless without the
plethora of details included in the overall
composition.
One of the most important of these details is the range
of contrast. This picture speaks of harsh contrast.
Some examples of this is the mountain peak as it towers
above the lower slopes, the dark shadows usurping the
strength of the dazzling snow, even the sky cannot
decide which end of the color scheme it wants to reside
in. These all serve to exhibit the beautiful range of
contrast this picture possesses. One of the most
essential examples of contrast is the sharp distinction
between the snowy base and the mountain itself. This
sets the tone for much of the photo by accenting the
black mountain. Another vital point of interest is the
peak of the mountain. The cliff is so dark that it
blends in with the sky quite well. But, in the middle
of this harmony is thrust a bolt of brilliant white
snow, which breaks the congruity of the union.
Lighting also plays an important part in the
composition. What helps make this photo so interesting
is fact that some areas are brightly lit, while others
are hidden in the shadows, creating contrasts. An
example of this is the fact that the light favors the
left side of the face much more than the right side.
This betrays the direction of the mountain. For
example, without the shadow on the right side of the
face, we would have no way of knowing that it is
actually slanted at an angle away from us. Supporting
evidence of this is that the sun illuminates the small
precipice in the bottom right corner while the shadows
claim part of the face of the mountain. If the face had
actually been leaning toward us, it would have been
illuminated along with the small precipice. You can
actually see a line running the vertical length of the
cliff separating the face. Because of this we observe
much more detail on the left, sunlit side, than the
dark shadows of the opposite face.
Apart from the colors and lighting, we also see
contrast in the linear aspects of this piece of art.
The protracted striations running the height of the
cliff gives it a much more towering figure than would
otherwise be displayed. While this is the dominant
striation direction of the picture there are a couple
of inconsistencies. First, the outcropping in the
bottom right of the picture has diagonal striations.
While these are not in direct opposition to the
vertical lines, they are inconsistent with the
majority. Second, the peak of the cliff also has a
diagonal outline, but this time it is in the opposite
direction. As you can see, even the subtle differences
are contrastive with each other.
In spite of all these contrasts, there are a few
congruencies. First, the trees are almost perfectly in
line with the striations of Monolith.
It looks as if a magnet is pulling them upwards in line
with the face. Second, the snow on either side of the
cliff forms a white base on which the
Monolith
rests.
Third, the striations on the left side of the mountain
itself are nearly parallel with the edge of the
outcropping in the bottom right. Finally, at the very
top right-hand side of the mountain the striations
begin to taper to the right. It is almost as if it is
starting to conform to the shape of the peak. Even with
these similarities, however, the picture is still
overall contrastive.
To add to the variety of contrast are some anomalies.
The most pronounced of these is the individual tree in
the bottom right hand corner. It is the only tree of
that genus in the entire picture, yet it is the largest
and most clearly defined. Secondly, the peak is almost
perfectly formed, following the curvature of the cliff,
except for one sharp break from the pattern that juts
out forming it’s own peak. This is probably one of the
most obvious breaks from fluidity in the picture.
Similar to this anomaly is the peak far in the distance
in the bottom left-hand side that is simply a peak
breaking the linearity of the composition. Another
anomic facet is the middle-left section of the mountain
that shows such vast detail, but does not follow the
striation pattern. There is also an example of this in
the top-right hand corner. The anomalies add interest
and spice to the overall composition of the photograph.
When dealing with landscape photography there must be
variety in the composition. Landscapes that contain
only a single object tend to be bland and
uninteresting. The anomalies guard against this problem
by adding variety, which gives the viewer more to look
at and, therefore, becomes more interesting.
Many times we look solely at the outstanding feature of
a photograph, and ignore the details that make that
feature outstanding. In order for the viewer to
recognize something as significant, there must be
smaller aspects of lesser value over which the main
object dominates. Therefore, to gain a more
comprehensive understanding of a photograph we must not
only look at the foremost aspect, but also the smaller
ingredients, which are the foundation for that aspect.
These “ingredients” may be things such as the various
contrasts and congruencies, or the shade of color used
in a seemingly minute element of the picture. What if
the photo was solely of the mountain jutting into mid
air? The picture would not have near the same impact
because you would have no frame of reference as to just
how large this mountain is. The trees at the base of
the cliff serve to give you this reference. They are so
tiny in comparison to the mighty mountain that you
barely notice them. If you really study something of
this nature instead of taking the superficial
impression, you begin to realize just how important the
small details are. If, for example, the striations on
the mountain were removed, it would utterly change the
tone of the picture. You would not receive the same
sense of edginess caused by the cracks and shadows of
the striations. Even something as small as the sliver
of snow on the top of the mountain is indispensable to
the overall mood. With its harsh detaching of the
mountain from the sky, it adds to the composition a bit
of coarseness.
The more you examine the photograph, the more you begin
to realize how everything, even the things that seem
insignificant, is essential as a whole to the
composition. You need the details in order to better
render the photograph. Through the use of contrast, and
various other details, this was beautifully
accomplished, giving us the stunning work of
art, Monolith,
The Face of Half Dome.
Reference
Ansel,
Adams. (2001). The
portfolios of Ansel Adams. Boston:
Little, Brown and Company