#4: Composition: Following Fall: Makenzie Wistisen

Photograph by: Makenzie Wistisen

For this assignment, I began with an image that I felt displayed a unique and appealing composition. I took this photo last year during the fall while visiting Payson, Utah. Surrounded by brilliantly colored aspen trees and majestic mountains, this quaint, quiet, little lake has fostered many personal hours of solitude and exploration. I intentionally composed this photo with both a foreground and a background. The blurred shrub in the foreground adds visual interest and dimension to the photo as well as a splash of complementary red. Still focusing on the background however, the scene displays a towering, dark green forest embellished with yellow, perfectly reflected in the still water below a dividing line of white sand. I love the tranquility this photo elicits in addition to a sense of what lies beyond. Metaphorically speaking, there's also an idea of reflection and contemplation to be found in the wild. 

The photo is cropped to appeal to a sense of thirds and has been edited in Adobe Photoshop to enhance color, light, sharpness and contrast. I wanted the yellow to stand out without looking artificial, but I think the contrast of turquoise green creates a harmonious complementary color scheme. I incorporated the pop of red present into the tagline to interact with the color scheme of the photo and draw attention to the message which is one REI often uses in its own advertisements. I feel the message resonates perfectly with the mood of the photo and could be used to sponsor REI, a brand for outdoor enthusiasts like myself. I wish I could have overlaid the logo in pure white over the red, but unfortunately that didn't happen. I did however, choose a simple, bold font in white to match the font style and color of the logo. Overall, I think the ad comes together nicely. Thanks for viewing!