I chose this photographs because I relate to it three concepts from the book: Depth and perception, repetition and color.

Having the photograph shot from below the butterflies appear bigger then the trees that surround them. As you look up towards the top of the tree the butterflies appear smaller. I believe that this photograph drags the viewer’s eye into the image. You start by looking at the first butterflies at he bottom of the tree and then follow the image to the top. Gradually, as you reach the last butterflies, the view starts to spread bringing the background into the view. This amplifies the perception of depth making you realize how tall the trees actually are. Moreover there is repetition in this photograph. I believe it’s a positive aspect of this photograph, because if there were to be only one or tow butterflies the photo would not be complete. The number of butterflies gives a sense of confusion and of disorder; yet again it appears they are not moving so there is a contrast of delicate and calm. The numerous butterflies harmonize the photograph. Such small animals seem bigger than the forest surrounding them. Finally the color, the color in this photo completes and uniforms it, attracting the viewer to the center of the photo. The double-faced wing of the butterflies gives contrast to the butterflies themselves. But the butterfly on foreground has the first impact on the viewer. The bright orange contrasts the light blue sky along with the sunbeam, which also appears as a flash of a camera. Overall the hues in this photo are vibrant and the contrast attracts the viewer form the butterfly to the sky. On the other hand, the brown trunks of the tree along with the dark green treetops create a frame to the butterflies placed in the center of the photograph. 

 

Monarch Butterflies, Mexico

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic

Millions of monarch butterflies travel to ancestral winter roosts in Mexico's shrinking mountain fir forests.