Complementary

Yin and Yang are often thought of as opposites, but they are actually complementary. In relationships we so often hear, “opposites attract”, and at first glance it appears to be true. In reality, it is how these apparent opposites actually complement the strengths and weaknesses we all possess that makes our “opposite” so attractive to us. It works this way in nature as well. Ever wonder why a violet flower looks so amazing when it has a bright yellow center? It is because purple and yellow appear opposite each other on a color wheel. Orange clouds at sunset against a blue sky is another example of complementary colors. Textures in nature can complement each other too. Prickly pine needles and fluffy snow look amazing together. A soft flower growing out of a crack in granite provides a tantalizing example of opposite textures that are actually quite complementary.

As a photographer, perhaps the thing I look for the most in a scene are the complementary aspects of light and shadow. It is why the best photographs are often captured in the morning or evening, but rarely in the middle of the day. When the sun is low, the shadows are long. This creates the perfect blend of tones that are opposite each other, but incredibly complementary. The day I found this scene, it was mid-morning but it was a little foggy and the sun had just crested a steep ridge on the left side of the stream. The relatively low angle of the sun played well with the geography and created the perfect yin and yang of light and shadow. The shape of the snow in the foreground against the dark background even looks like the classic yin/yang symbol!

Tragically, this scene is no more. This tree, along with much of the landscape was swept away in the unprecedented floods that Yellowstone and the surrounding areas experienced just a few months after this photo was captured in 2022. It is yet another example of yin and yang. The apparent destruction of such stunning beauty is an important reminder that while the natural world provides some of the most reliable beauty you may ever lay eyes upon, it is also incredibly powerful and unpredictable.