Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Contrast, Balance and Harmony

This photo is one I took a few months ago in Long Beach, California near the harbor that docks the Queen Mary. I walked the park just north of the docks and along the water is the ruins of old cement docks. Some riddled with graffiti but one particular beam caught my eye because of it's strange out of context message and the use of a stencil instead of free hand. The contrast of the beauty of the water with the filthy cement rubble. The street art that is not aesthetically pleasing as an art form. The sunset glow of pink off in the distance. And the signs of civilization in the background. The contrast is there in color, light, and content. The difference between rubble and civilization. The mute colors of gray white and black  with the light pink glow of the sunset compared to the blue of the water and the colors of the buildings on land along with a more prominent pink sunset effect. Dirty water under the rubble shows what happens to a seemingly clean body when destruction strikes. The balance comes from following the diagonal line of the pillar because camera is not aligned with the horizon. Without the horizon it feels straight but with it involved it does feel like a balancing act, much like the balancing act I was doing standing on pieces of broken rubble roughly 50 feet away from the designated path in the park and off of the grass with a small concrete wall to stop you from walking in. And while all of this happens the community of Long Beach is in harmony. The ocean still flows. The Queen Mary is still docked and operational as a museum and hotel. Cruise ships come to this port and are docked here while they await their next departure. This graffiti is in harmony because how can you destroy something that is already in rubble? This photo to me perfectly captures chaos with order in a balance and harmony that isn't disruptive to one another while still showing how different each side is. A man made beauty captured within a natural world.

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