THEME AND BALANCE
I know someone will probably claim that this is just another narcissistic blog entry, but it's not. It's an educational item designed to teach you proper photographic technique.

Take this image, for instance:



Notice the overall theme at work in the photograph. A young man lounges, relaxed and... well, contemplative. I'd say the young man looks contemplative. Wouldn't you? He casually takes a drag from his cigarette, the smoke gently rising above his head. The smoke clearly represents the ideas of the young man; cartoon bubbles are too childish for art of this complexity. And in a divine, impish touch, a glass of wine -- apparently untouched -- is perched in the upper left corner of the frame. Notice that the glass is neigher half-full nor half-empty; rather, it is almost completely full. Therefore, we can intuit that the young man's ideas (remember the smoke!) are optimistic and forward-thinking, and the ease with which he lives his life is destined to blossom in his long, but youthful, future.

Our next example is this photograph:
Here we have something similar, yet shockingly different. First, note the artistic use of black and white to accent the shadows cast by the table lamp. It is quite fascinating and quite daring. But also note that -- despite the moodiness often associated with black and white photographs -- the youthful good nature of this young man still shines through. He is smiling, and is hand is draped over his muscular inner thigh in a manner that quite coindentally suggests sexual allure. And if you look carefully through the shadows, you can also see that the wineglass now, indeed, is half-full... for this young man would never see anything as half-empty. Unlike the first image, this is a representation of a young, vibrant, optimistic, and sensual being.

And there you have it: Art Appreciation 101, courtesy of TRL: The Rob Log. And if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to take a cold shower now...