Contrast, Balance, and Harmony

I stumbled across this photo and it really stood out to me. This was taken by a Russian mother by the name of Elena Shumilova. She took advantage of her natural surroundings to get this amazing shot. She also has more photos of her sons at this link.

From a phycological standpoint I get a sense of contrast between the peace and comfort of a loyal, trustworthy companion (such as dog), and the discomfort and eeriness of the unknown ahead of them. That is implied mostly by the foggy/hidden nature of the path in front of them.

There is a balance of size between the dog and the child. Their gazes toward the path guide us to the vanishing point and I feel that this photo flows very well. There aren't any harsh shadows due to the overcast which gives this photo a very calming mood. Overall this photo is harmonic to me and it resonates with my younger, more adventurous self.