Visceral Response

Every time I see a softball, a glove, or even a ball field my mind immediately goes back to my youth. There was nothing better than standing on the pitchers mound, listening to the distant chattering of hey, batter-batter, or the excitement sliding in to home base and hearing the umpire yell, "safe". Most nights were spent at the ball field either practicing, or playing. My fondest memories come from playing softball.

In this image of the softball, the line that is formed by the threads forces the eye around the image. The line implies a sense of energy, which is also felt because of the knowledge of what softball is used for. There is also a curvilinear line where the pieces of leather are sewn together with the threads. At first glance, the eye is drawn to the actual threads, but through closer examination the eye is drawn to the deeper line of the softball.

Although this photograph is not a complete image of the entire ball, most would be able to quickly recognize it by the shape, and size. The shadow around the sphere helps to define its shape. Other shapes seen are the circles where the threads disappear into the ball, and the threads have a triangular shape to them. The light and dark contrasts of this image also help to clarify the shape of the softball.

Most of the image is occupied by the positive space of the softball. Negative space is seen in three of the four corners. The darkness of these negative spaces helps push the viewers eye back to the center and around the image.

While this photograph may not be in color, everyone knows that softballs are white with red threads. I love black and white images. I am drawn to them; they let me use my imagination. I feel that sometimes color gets in the way of the emotion of the image. Seeing this softball in black and white creates a sentimental feeling within me. This image is not just in black and white, it actually contains many shades of gray within it.

The texture on the softball creates a lot of emotion in me. It shows that this softball is well used, and well loved. This softball has been left outdoors and been exposed to the elements as well. The light that is cast upon the softball shows the wear and tear that the ball has endured. This can also be seen in the frayed threads of the softball. There are a lot of different textures around the entire softball that are changed by the way the light hits it. I can imagine holding the softball in my hand, and feel the texture as I rub my fingers across it.

Along with all the elements that are described, there are many of these elements that are related to the game of softball. This image takes me back to the days of hitting the softball, and running the bases. I can also relate the black and white of this image, to the emotion of winning or losing the game.