Black and White

I decided to see why my roommate is obsessed with cows.












Obviously, it must be because they are so photogenic.

These pictures are black and white in more than one way. Sporting texture, high contrast, and shapely bodies, cows are the dynamicism black and white photographs are famous for. 

In the top photograph (by vasho on flickr), the subject is standing with his nose directly in the center of the image. His body creates a vertical line down the center of the photograph while the ground line cutes a horizontal line. The skyline creates a softer line cutting the photo into thirds. A cow ear makes the photograph heavier on the left side and breaks the symmetry making this photograph confrontational rather than static. The cow's spots, angles, and texture repeat in the landscape creating unity and interest. 

The bottom photograph (by John and Whitny on flickr) is a joke both symbolically and compositionally. A cross is meant to represent the word holy. Reading from left to right, this photograph says holy cow. The ground line splits the composition into a black and a white half. This restates the subject, a cow. 

Both of these photographs successfully portray their subjects.