The picture, shot by Australian photographer Joshua Holko, records a scene where a polar bear has eaten a seal and still has blood of the prey all over its face. Holko won the 2014 Travel Photographer of the Year award in the Wild and Vibrant category. I chose this photo because the color contrast caught my attention at the first sight and the meaningful message conveyed by the photograph.
It is an asymmetrical photo and its main focus is the polar bear and the remains of seal with snow in the distance and the sky blurred . The photographer adopted an angle which was parallel to the polar bear’s eyes, showing an equal status of human beings and animals. No artificial light is used in the picture, which contributes to a natural texture. Color contrast makes the texture detail show up even more(“What is,” n.d., para.3). The contrast embedded in the picture make it vibrant and meaningful. What catches my attention at the first sight is the striking color contrast between two splashes of red bloodstain s and the gentle background. The bloodstain on polar bear’s face conveys energy and vibrancy, while the remains on the snow show wildness and cruelty .
The image’s emphasis comes from implied motion (Coppieters, 1995, para.29). The bloodstain covering all over the polar bear’s face and the skeletons with little fresh indicates that the bear must have been extremely hungry so it buried its head in the precious delicacy and finished nearly all of it. But there is surprise and hopelessness in the polar bear’s eyes instead of great satisfaction. The bear is at a loss, wondering when and where it could get its next meal for the ice is declining. Polar bears are at the brink of extinction due to climate change caused by human beings (Lewis, 2014, para.2).
The photograph shows more than an act of killing within natural law and survival of the fittest rule, but a warning and appeal that we human beings should stop acting like we are superior to other creatures and impacting nature regardless of the cost.
Reference:
Kris Coppieters (1995). ANALYZING A PHOTOGRAPH A How-To Guide. Retrieved from http://pages.uoregon.edu/jlesage/Juliafolder/PHOTOANALYSIS.HTML
Joshua Holko (2014). Retrieved from http://blog.jholko.com/2014/12/20/travel-photographer-of-the-year-winner-2014-wild-and-vibrant-category/
What Is Texture Photography? (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.steves-digicams.com/knowledge-center/how-tos/photography-techniques/what-is-texture-photography.html#b
Tanya Lewis (2014). Polar Bears on Thin Ice, Arctic Expedition Finds. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/45010-svalbard-polar-bear-expedition.html
XING Yiding (star) 54020030
It is an asymmetrical photo and its main focus is the polar bear and the remains of seal with snow in the distance and the sky blurred . The photographer adopted an angle which was parallel to the polar bear’s eyes, showing an equal status of human beings and animals. No artificial light is used in the picture, which contributes to a natural texture. Color contrast makes the texture detail show up even more(“What is,” n.d., para.3). The contrast embedded in the picture make it vibrant and meaningful. What catches my attention at the first sight is the striking color contrast between two splashes of red bloodstain s and the gentle background. The bloodstain on polar bear’s face conveys energy and vibrancy, while the remains on the snow show wildness and cruelty .
The image’s emphasis comes from implied motion (Coppieters, 1995, para.29). The bloodstain covering all over the polar bear’s face and the skeletons with little fresh indicates that the bear must have been extremely hungry so it buried its head in the precious delicacy and finished nearly all of it. But there is surprise and hopelessness in the polar bear’s eyes instead of great satisfaction. The bear is at a loss, wondering when and where it could get its next meal for the ice is declining. Polar bears are at the brink of extinction due to climate change caused by human beings (Lewis, 2014, para.2).
The photograph shows more than an act of killing within natural law and survival of the fittest rule, but a warning and appeal that we human beings should stop acting like we are superior to other creatures and impacting nature regardless of the cost.
Reference:
Kris Coppieters (1995). ANALYZING A PHOTOGRAPH A How-To Guide. Retrieved from http://pages.uoregon.edu/jlesage/Juliafolder/PHOTOANALYSIS.HTML
Joshua Holko (2014). Retrieved from http://blog.jholko.com/2014/12/20/travel-photographer-of-the-year-winner-2014-wild-and-vibrant-category/
What Is Texture Photography? (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.steves-digicams.com/knowledge-center/how-tos/photography-techniques/what-is-texture-photography.html#b
Tanya Lewis (2014). Polar Bears on Thin Ice, Arctic Expedition Finds. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/45010-svalbard-polar-bear-expedition.html
XING Yiding (star) 54020030