Oh the places you'll go...

I researched what makes a good picture. A great article I found suggested 5 things:Balance, Symmetry, Texture, Depth of Field, and Lines.

In thinking about this assignment, I looked through every picture I have on my computer and decided to create a story of what is important to me in my life, and use the pictures that best depict them. The best memories have been made with my wife, and those memories have taken place all over the country. Oh the places you'll go....

Just a few months after we started dating we took this picture on a tour bus in San Francisco. I love this picture not only for what it means to me and the memories associated with it, but because it meets the criteria I found in my research. It has great depth of field and the shadows create a lot of texture. It was just a simple picture taken by a unnamed tourist, but turned out to be great picture for more reasons than one.

This picture was taken not long after our trip to San Francisco. We were in Dallas visiting my wife's family, who at the time was my girlfriend. We decided to take a little adventure to Louisiana and thought to take this picture by the state sign. This picture displays a good example of lines, with the two pillars on either side of the sign holding it up, and the vertical edges of the sign providing a sense of balance. My wife and I are kind of the afterthought in this picture, with the sign being the predominant figure the viewers eyes are drawn toward.

As with all these pictures, this one brings back some great memories, maybe some of my favorites. This picture was taken the same day I proposed and, as can be inferred, she said yes. I love this picture because you can tell we are at a stadium and how close we are based on the depth of field the stadium and press box provide. It also has a great sense of balance, especially with the colors that are all coordinating and alike. We are wearing blue and orange, the field is blue and orange, and the fans in the stand are also wearing blue and orange.

Finally, the day has arrived. And finally, a professional photographer had a chance to photograph us together, no offense to the nameless tourist and football fan. This picture captures so much emotion and perfectly embodies the depth of field, balance and texture that is most sought after. The viewer can easily tell the focus is on us, because we are in perfect clear picture and the background is blurred and somewhat of an afterthought. The texture of us being clear and everything around us being blurred helps capture the specialness and joy of the moment. It is perfectly balanced and shows just the right amount of us and just the right amount of everything else. Luckily everyone's eyes are immediately drawn to my beautiful wife and not to the lucky guy next to her.

The final picture of our journey around the country, and there have been and will be many more, bring us to the happiest place on earth. It's happy even without someone, but even happier when your best friend gets to come along (cheesy, I know). I love this classic picture that nearly every American has sitting on their nightstand. The colors bring great balance to the photo and the verticality of the lines on the edges of the building in the background create a sense of depth. 

Our story doesn't end, and cannot fully be told, in five pictures, but it's a small glimpse into the greatest story I've ever told. Luckily we weren't asked to post all 75 or more pictures because the story goes on and on from everywhere one can imagine. Oh the places you'll go...