Rest in Blue

Rest in Blue, originally uploaded by Eric Gozar.

This photo which I posted in Flickr.com, (my account - ericgozar) at the time of this posting was viewed 1,052 times and favorited by 74 people since I posted it on the Flickr site.

Sometimes I ask myself, why do people react to a photo or a picture, like this one which I took last year in May when my family and I was vacationing in Boracay. What is in this photo that makes people react favorably, leaving nice comments, invitations and virtual awards? What is the photo that makes people respond and post a comment?

After being surprised by the popularity of this photograph, I pondered and asked myself why? Many of you reading this blog will have your own answers, whether it is the allure of the place, the color of the photo and / or the composition, but I guess that is if you are a photographer or an artist viewing it as a work of photographic art.

But what if you are a plain viewer on this Flickr.com site, like some of the members just browsing and commenting?

I have some of my own opinion about the photo why people react about this image: This is just my own analysis, based on what I know about people's behavior as to the image composition, the image's theme, the image's color.

Let's start from the last one: COLOR:

This photo is appealing to many viewers because of it's color - BLUE, a universal color of acceptance. The sky is blue and it encompasses all the nations on this world, or maybe even some worlds. Thus, initially, the perception of this image being universally acceptable is immediately there. Blue is a universally acceptable color.

In one of the lectures I attended in HK, presented an Austrian expert on color, it's psychology and effects on people, the color of blue is the safest color for one to employ in most of his dealings with other people who he has never had a chance to know personally about his preferences. Blue can be used on his presentation materials to a new client, clothing for new acquaintances, even his websites to launch and target an unknown group of people. Blue is a safe and universally acceptable color.

Now the universally accepted THEME:

Rest, Serenity, Peace, Quiet, Solitude, is shown on the image, attracting the ordinary and specially stressed people viewing this image to think that they want to be in this place, on this sand, on this beach chair. The appeal of the theme of a vacation spot, and the invitation of rest or a holiday trip is expressed on this image. Warm green clean waters, white sands, light breeze and sun becons to many people whoever they are. For a fact, Europeans adore sceneries like thiis in tropical countries which has warm weather and unspoiled beaches.

Now the first one that is more inclined to be perceived by artists, specially photographers - COMPOSITION & BALANCE:

Movement is shown by the image of the blue sailed "banca" (outrigger boat) while a soft light breeze is implied by the slightly blown blue sail that propels the "banca" as it sails by two beach chairs made of bamboo. The movement is evident in this static photo.

Although the horizon it slightly tilted, it gives the sail's off-centered position on the image a semi-illusion of the "banca" sliding to it's destination, softly,quietly and gently.

But again this is balanced by the skewed position of the beach chair on the right which gives a correctional weight to the offset position of the boat of this framed view. The "rule of thirds" on photography is well exemplified on the balance of this landscape view on a portrait format.

I guess this is the intriguing part of this photo. Many photographers would normally capture a scene like this in landscape format, but I have tried to express the brevity of this slow but moving frame into a narrower frame of view.

This is just my own personal summary of why my photo has been gathering positive criticisms from fellow members and Flickr viewers since I posted this photo.

The original photo is part of my Bora Collection on Flickr.com: See this photo in Flickr.com - click on the link - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericgozar/870251391/.