It’s pretty obvious that the abstract idea here is joy. And I don’t think it’s anthropomorphic to say that this dog exudes it. It’s a nice way to end the work-week, don’t you think?
Last week I talked about color and texture. This week, color is almost absent. Except for the tints of pink in the sky and reflected in the wet sand, this photo is pretty much black and white. It’s more about action and the feeling you get by seeing the airborne dog running with reckless abandon toward the sea. This was a lucky shot capturing her, with all paws off the ground. I’m reminded of Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904), who’s early photographs proved that all four hooves of a galloping horse left the ground. If you’re interested, The Man Who Stopped Time is a good article on how Muybridge did it. And there’s a link to the series of photos of the galloping horse.
The Difference is in the Crop
Full disclosure…. My featured photo is really a crop of this much larger shot. I love this scene. It’s very simple with a lot of negative space. The only creature we see is the dog. Not even her human is in this scene. There’s something refreshing and joyful about this. It must be true that a photo can bring up feelings and depict an abstract idea.
