The photography I chose is “Compton Cowboys” by Christopher Gregory-Rivera. This is work about cowboys in Compton, capturing the moments in their lives and their work. The photo I chose is attached below. I chose this photo as I found the composition to be interesting with the water and the beauty of the horse. As well as capturing the surrounding details of the area, including a tropical tree on the right side of the composition. What makes this photo really interesting to me is that the fact that I don’t get to see many horses here in NYC. While there are horses on the streets near Central Park, the aspect of keeping a horse out of the city is something unique to me. Gregory Rivera shows the delight of the horse and the woman (who I assume is a cowboy in this region) as a good caretaker for this horse.
At first glance for me, I can see the contrast from light and dark. Mainly on the horse, but also some of the details of the trees. The darker color on the leaves compared to the bright sky or the lighter color of the tree trunk. Another element that can be seen is the rules of third. On the left side is a woman with a hose spraying water onto a horse. On the right side it is part of the horse and the tropical tree. While in the middle of photo is the horse, but it isn’t centered. This makes the composition into sections to look more dramatic with each piece having action going on. Lastly the frame within frame could be seen in this photograph. The usage of the pen is a dividing aspect to the woman and the horse. While the background of the photograph is the neighborhood of Compton in LA.
I agree that the contrast of light and dark and the strong dark form of the horse and the caretaker are the key visual elements of the photo. Gregory-Rivera also takes good advantage of the fences to frame what he wants us to look at.