Contrast, Balance, Harmony

The image I have chosen to look at and talk about is the one shown below.


I think this picture shows great contrast and balance in the way the highlights of the whites are the exact opposite of the darks.  The highlight in the middle is the lightest in the picture with the child's head being the darkest part of the picture.  The picture is not balanced rather asymmetrically balanced.  The balance comes from the swing set  on the right and the kid swinging on the left.  I think this picture is actually somewhat balanced because how much space each of the objects is taking up. You can make the argument for it being balanced either way.  There is not much texture in this photo because of the shadows and how the light is assumed to be behind the child swinging.  The only texture that can be argued is the texture of the chains. The chains have that feel of normal chains that everyone can imagine in their head.
To me, this picture sends out an emotion of pain and suffering.  Even though you can see the joy and laughter in the little boys face and his sense of naiveness, I think of, honestly, the world ending when I look at this picture. I say this because of all the dramatic contrasts in this photo.  The blacks in the foreground, to me, portray a sense of pain that is only amplified by the dramatic whiteness and the greys of the background.