Option 1

In Ansel Adams' photograph, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, he captures the beauty and essence of nature coexisting with a human civilization. He does this by masterfully framing the moon as the focal point of the picture while showing so much else in the foreground and background. By framing and taking this picture, Adams captures the essence and beauty of nature and its ability to evoke emotions and a powerful message. He makes the moon the focal point and the secondary points are the mountains, the field, and the town. By using all of these things, Adams creates a picture that shows hope and despair. 

The first observation is that there is a graveyard right at the front of the town. Adams places it at the forefront in order to show that death that could have decimate the town. Since the town is in a desert region, it can be suggested that there could be a water crisis because people don't have water to drink; this could be one of the causes of death. Adams makes it seem as though the whole town has been devastated by loss and death by capturing the desolation and sadness that pervades throughout much of the picture. This shows the origin of much of the despair that the photographer has captured in the picture. 

Also at the forefront of the picture is a small town that has many aspects worth exploration. The first thing that caught my attention was how small it is and how few buildings it contains. All of the buildings are small adobe shacks, but the largest building in the town is the church. This suggests that religion is very important to the inhabitants of the town. It is also very interesting that the church is on the left side of the photograph as opposed to being in the middle. Like many other towns in the American Southwest, one would guess that the church would be in the middle of the town. By making the church off center, Adams creates this illusion that religion and faith in God has been pushed to the side so that the town can cope with and recover from the sadness and despair that is implied. Adams makes it seem as though the town has just become complacent and just accepted that the happy times are over. This is suggested by the stagnant and old look of the town; it looks very unchanging and timeless, almost as if time has stood still.

Then the photograph shows the barren land between the mountains and the town. The amount of land is very vast and is extremely lifeless. It also shows that there is a great distance between the town and the mountains. Behind the field lies the snow covered mountains. In many Southwestern towns, there is a shortage of water, and the water that the town receives flows from the mountains down to the town. This suggests that the mountains represent hope because the water that they provide has the power to bring life back to the town. Because there is a large and lifeless field there, it can be implied that the water will have to go through the field first. This shows that hope is far off but not unreachable. The field contains a scarce amount of plants, and the plants that are there look like they will die soon. Thus, the mountains will provide life to the lifeless and resurrect the town and areas surrounding it.

Adams frames the picture to focus on the moon to show that night is coming over the town and the surrounding areas. Also, he places the moon in the middle of the painting to create a horizon line that separates darkness from the light. By doing this, Adams adds to the mood of despair because darkness is coming over, but the light that is still visible represents the hope portrayed that is helped by the snow covered mountains. The water flows from the mountains after the sun melts it, which implies that the light helps add to the hope provided by the water. The darkness represents despair and grief, but the contrast with the light shows that hope and happiness will return.

In this photograph, Adams shows the constant pull between light and dark or joy and despair. Because night is falling, there is a small sense of despair, but the light that is still shown represents the hope that is still to come. The snow-covered mountains show the new life that the water from the snow will bring to the surrounding areas and to the town. When he focuses on the moon, Adams draws attention to the darkness and the light. By putting many details into to the secondary focus, he shows the contrast between despair and hope. This picture is reminiscent of a scripture that says, "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.", because Adams incorporates the symbolism of night and day to represent joy and despair. 

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