This photograph (whose title I'm not quite sure of) was taken by a man named Mohamed Mahdy, in Egypt. Although it's taken in the landscape orientation, this is most definitely a portrait photograph. The black and white is not harsh, but white's remain white, and the shadows aren't necessarily without depth–there is just enough contrast to give definition to the boy's face, and to make the chick pop out against the background. The texture of the chick, and the boy's face and clothing, is brought out by the contrast as well, whereas the background (the wall of an almost delapidated building) seems smooth with softer shadows and blur. Our eyes follow the highlights, the contrast, the focus, and are brought to the boy and the chick on his shoulder. They are the main characters of this photograph, but there is a third character in the background–out of focus, but still smiling. This background character is nearly as happy as the boy in the foreground, and watches him from a high-up window.

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This photograph is shot from a low angle, nearly an ant's-eye view, which might have regularly made the subject seem towering, intimidating, but I would associate neither of those things with the boy. Because he is aligned more in the third half of this image (rule of thirds!), and because he faces away from the lens, all the low angle serves to do is to fit our third background character into the photograph. The chick however, is centered very nicely, and the low angle helps us to make direct eye contact with the little guy. The effect this eye contact and centering has is to bring even more attention to the chick, especially because its color contrasts the rest of the image so starkly.

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I chose this image almost solely because I enjoyed the simplicity of its message–or at least the message which I personally interpreted. I believe that it is less symbolic, less metaphorical, and more a moment of pure happiness, captured. Nothing more, nothing less: just that specific look of joy on the boy's face, which I am sure is very related to the tiny, smug creature perched on his shoulder. It's the sort of joy a child displays when he is excited, and maybe a little nervous, around an animal. The kind of joy you see in the face of a four-year-old who has just discovered a new insect, or who is holding a kitten for the first time. The kind of joy which can only be shared between a person and their pet. There is a naivety to it, an undeniably element of disbelief, but there is more dominantly curiosity, and deep love. And the chick reflects those traits of youth, and of purity, because it too is new to the world. It too seems a little in awe of its situation. The third, more hidden character is joyful, too, but perhaps in a different way. Joyful in that he is delighted to see the other boy's joy, and is getting a good laugh from the chick, but might be older–too old to participate in any way other than observation. Maybe it reminds him of his own not-so-distant childhood, and perhaps that is why he rests so deeply in the background: because this scene is a bittersweet memory to him, and he has now begun to fade from the glorious world of childhood. As a final note, the black and white, which often has nothing short of a solemn effect on a scene, serves a different purpose here. It removes distraction, and all we can see is the youthful laughter, and all of the life in this photograph. There is so much life, and, on this old Egyptian street, no absence of color can hide that.