First Image

This photograph comes from http://my.opera.com/365/albums/showpic.dml?album=728137&picture=11213234 and was taken by someone known as Antonietta. 

I realized that I would not be able to find what I would call an ideal image that reflected all of my preferences that should come together to create a “perfect” scene.  Instead, I posted the image to which I had the greatest internal response; when I saw this picture, I experienced sudden awe.  What marked this sense of awe was the thrill; I felt amazement at the brewing power of the storm.  Seeing this image brings to mind the real experience of witnessing a storm; the image inspires my memories, which in turn embellish the perception of the image in my mind, such that I imagine the clouds in the picture swirling slowly.  I remember the wind blowing, I imagine its temperature and smell and apply it to the photograph.  Even the darkness brings positive feelings: I rest my eyes from the bright rays of daylight and it adds to my sense of thrill—it foretells that I am about to witness something so powerful that it blocks out the sun.  I enjoy the differing shades of blue in the clouds, their fluidity and apparent softness.  I am also glad that buildings and other structures are not clearly visible in the picture; their absence gives me a greater sense of space and openness.  The silhouette of a single tree and the mountains in the distance, dwarfed compared to the darkened clouds, contribute to my feeling of humility as I look at a force that is completely beyond my control.  The storm could result in destruction or it could simply help nourish the land.  I realize that this paragraph is filled with personal first person pronouns.  In this case, perhaps my written reaction tells more about me than about the image itself.  I don’t know how to analyze the image apart from myself unless I relate it to other images, yet at present my sense of what is beautiful comes from how an image internally affects me.  I consider this image to be beautiful because it “moves” me by inspiring both memories and imaginings, and because I use it as a springboard for uncovering more meaning from my life.  I enjoy looking at landscapes in general in person because I feel smaller; my life will pass, but the land will always remain behind.  It connects me to those who lived before me and those who will live after.  Nevertheless, the land and natural processes such as storms are ever-changing; the storm in the image is already gone and can never be seen in person again.  The same is true of any individual perception of the land in a particular moment; at present very few buildings appear in the area depicted by the image, but that too can change.  Also, depending on the day my personal reaction to the image could change; with the loss of its novelty, I may lose the sense of awe it first inspired.  Interacting with landscapes by perceiving them and thinking about them brings to light how something can both be a constant, commonly experienced by many people, while still appearing or being different each time it is experienced.  Strangely, at present I feel comfort when I see this image.  I am able to enjoy this image as much as I do, though, only because I am safe; the storm does not personally threaten me, so I’m free to appreciate it.  If this storm were to seriously threaten me, it would lose its beauty.