 The statement “A picture is worth a thousand words” has never been more true.  When reading a book or novel or any piece of literature, there are only so many ways one can analyze that piece of literature but with a picture, there are infinite ways.  Since there are no words in a picture, it is left to the readers to describe it whether it be just by a simple word or two or a specific memory that happened in that person’s lifetime.  Within a group of pictures, there is a common affiliation whether it is a common theme, color pattern, contrast, angle, emphasis, movement, etc.  For the essay “The Beauty of a Home Town”, the themes are presented as comfort and beauty through the use of color patterns, angel, emphasis and movement.  

The images chosen for the essay not only exhibit the common themes of beauty and comfort, but they all focus on the town of Charleston, not the people.  When looking at the city of Charleston, one should look at the sites of Charleston and the beauty it’s attractions hold, not the people.  Yes, the people do make up the city however, the people will come and go but the beauty of this historic city will stay.  Charleston has been around since the first thirteen colonies.  People have come and go but Charleston has always been there.    

These images were also chosen based off of the most popular sites in Charleston.  Picture one shows an image of King Street which runs through the main part of Downtown Charleston.  People travel from all over the world to shop or eat on the historic King Street.  In this picture, the use of color helps to support the themes.  The colors used are very bright but subtle.  For example, take the pink building on the left.  It is a very pastel pink with palm trees in front of it.  It looks very welcoming due to the pastel pink and the fact that all the lights are on inside the building.  In the picture, it almost looks like it is either a sunrise or sunset.  That shows the reader that the beauty of Charleston is continuous all day.  The fact that it is sunrise or sunset also gives it that relaxing vibe and supports the themes of comfort and beauty that sunrises and sunsets are associated with.      

 Picture two is a picture of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which connects Mount Pleasant to Charleston and is one of the first sights seen when going into Charleston.  This picture uses the elements of different angels, emphasis and movement.  The angle of the picture draws the viewer’s eye into the middle of the picture, looking at the first diamond of the bridge which is the use of emphasis.  Movement is also demonstrated in this photo by having the viewer’s eye start at the first diamond and move to the left going towards the second diamond.   The colors and line placement together lets the eyes easily move from one side of the picture to another.  By using these elements, it is a creates a relaxing technique for the viewer.  The colors again are sunset/ sunrise colors (light orange and blue tones) which support the themes of comfort and beauty.   

Picture three is a picture of a sunset on a dock in Folly Beach.  The use of movement in the picture leads the viewer’s eye from the sunset to the boat or from the boat to the sunset, capturing and taking in the entirety of the picture. The use of the boat and the little shack stop on the left justifies that it is not just a vacant dock and that there are people and can symbolize friendliness and comfort.  The sunset again emphasizes how beauty is apparent in Charleston because of the calmness and serenity that they are associated with.      

Picture four shows the monumental Pineapple Fountain which symbolizes welcome and can be seen from the shore. This picture uses angel but uses something more specific than just angel.  This picture uses the Rule of Thirds.  The Rule of Thirds is when a picture is split up into thirds vertically and viewed as each third increases with content in the picture; that is exactly what is happening here.  The picture starts from the left as a few palm trees can be seen.  Then, the sun can be seen rising in the distance with the corner of the fountain peeking out on the right.  Then in the last third, the full pineapple fountain can finally be seen.  This makes the viewer take in the picture piece by piece and more in depth instead of just looking at the picture. It makes the viewer analyze the picture. The picture also shows emphasis on the fountain and how it is more focused in on the fountain instead of the background.  Along with the colors patterns, these elements help support the themes because when looking at this picture, it gives off a serene, happy tone.

Picture five is a different than the rest due to the straight on view that it gives but still supports the theme with a nice transition.  It is a picture of the hundred-year-old angel oaks leading to the famous Boone Hall Plantation.  This picture, unlike all the rest, was taken in mid-day.  The use of the colors of bright greens and slight whites and pastel pinks still help support the themes of comfort and beauty.  The angle in which this picture was taken was meant to lead the viewer’s eye down the path as if they were standing there walking towards Boone Hall Plantation.  The upwards angle gives the viewer the whole view of the trees which satisfies the eye.  Even though this is unlike the rest of the pictures it still demonstrates the themes using the same elements just in different ways. 

Picture six and seven are the same as picture five; they all demonstrate the same themes and the same elements just use them in a different way.  For example, in picture six is a picture of a historical building on the battery, the American flag and the state’s tree. This picture uses bright pastel colors and dark colors for contrast to draw in the viewer .  It also demonstrates emphasis on the flag and presents movement from the flag onto the palm tree.  Picture seven is a picture of Folly Beach during mid-day summer. This picture shows an example of contrast between the white sand and the bright blue sky.  It also uses movement to move the viewer’s eye from the ocean to the hotel on the right.  Both of these pictures were mentioned to show that Charleston is a beautiful place not only when the sun is setting or rising but in all times of the day.   

Pictures are said to speak a thousand words but when put together they can speak so much more.  With one picture comes a couple words, maybe a thought but when a group of pictures are together, it tells a story through a common theme.  Charleston is so much more than just history and old building but with the help of the visual elements of color patterns, angle, contrast, emphasis and movement the themes of beauty, comfort and serenity were easily captured to describe such an fantastic city.         
