Blog Post 9: Further Analysis

The vectors of attention play some important roles in the project photograph. The element of the photograph that first grabs the attention of the audience is the shepherd himself. The photographer achieves this be keeping the background as simple as possible. Next, my eyes continue downward towards the horse. From here, I notice that the shepherd and horse are positioned on the right, and facing the left edge of the photograph. Naturally my gaze follows theirs and I notice the dog, which is looking back up at the shepherd. Finally I look at the background of the photograph, or, more specifically, the grass and hills then the sky and clouds.

The sky is a deep, fully saturated shade of blue, which really contrasts with the white clouds. In effect, this might challenge the audience to think about the weather conditions that are experienced everyday by this shepherd and his companions. In my case, the clouds make me imagine what it might be like for the shepherd to struggle through an intense thunderstorm with naught but his trusty horse and loyal dog by his side. As an afterthought, I also think about what it'd be like to keep track hundreds of sheep, too. However, the photographer most likely chose to leave the sheep out of the picture so that the audience would focus more on the shepherd himself and his relationship with the horse and herding dog.

The main hues used in the project photograph are greens, browns, tans, and blue in the sky. These colors are used to invoke thoughts of nature and earth. This is used to emphasize the fact that nature--grass, hills, trees, etc.--is what dominates the shepherd's life. While herding his sheep, the shepherd has no permanent house to live in and experiences little contact with other humans.

I found this picture to be rather interesting when compared to the photo that I selected for the first writing project. The herding dog is the main focus of this picture, rising above everything else, while the dog in the project photograph is placed in a submissive position at the feet of the shepherd. As a result, the shepherd's herding dogs are given completely different roles between the two photos. In this picture, the dog is shown as the leader--maybe even as the shepherd itself. Though this is nearly a completely opposite role of the dog in my chosen project photograph, it helped me to look at the general sheep herding dog in a different manner and, by comparison, more fully realize the role of the herding dog in the project photograph.

The role of the herding dog in the project photograph isn't that of leadership, but obedience, respect, and teamwork. The herding dog and the shepherd work together as a team to keep the sheep in line and complete the task at hand. The project photograph shows the dog looking up at the shepherd, waiting to jump at the shepherd's next command.