Contrast, Balance, Harmony

Portrait of a Yak by Sherrin Lim

Here is a stunning photo of a Yak, which caught my interest because I've never seen one before. When it comes to contrast, the difference between the animal and the land it's on greatly shows contrast. The Yak itself has light fur, which is contrasted by the darkness of the mountains and even the Yak's horns, which are darker than the fur. Another way contrast is shown in this photo is by size. Yak's are typically large animals, but this one looks even larger because of the way the photographer framed the photo. The horns of the Yak are taller than the mountains in the background, making it seem larger.

With balance, this photo seems to have a symmetrical balance because the weight of the mountains looks equal compared to the Yak. And the Yak is symmetrically balanced itself because of it's facial features, The horns and face are symmetrical.

When it comes to Gestalt principles, figure/ground relationships would apply. The Yak is the main focus of the photo, but the landscape still draws people in and gives context to where this photo might have been taken.

I see harmony in this photo because of the contrast and the landscape. This light fur colored Yak would belong in a harsh environment like this, and the mountains in the background add to that feeling of harmony. It also shows harmony through repetition of the mountains and the way they point upward throughout the photo.