Part Two - Elements of Design

Photography one


Part two - Elements of Design


The main aim in this section is to "identify the graphic elements in any photograph, to assess how important a role they play, and to be able to use them for structure and movement in a composition." However, don't forget the importance of the subject.


Try to avoid choosing scenes for their colour, in these exercises, as it could distract from other graphic elements. Consider working in black and white, of convert copies of originals to Grayscale.


Project Points


A subject should be small in the frame, and somehow contrast with it's surroundings, to qualify as a point.

Types of situation which make a clear photograph of a point:

A building / few buildings against a grass background.
A boat / boats on water.
Figures or plants / trees against a sand background.
Contrasting coloured shapes against plain backgrounds.
Birds in the sky
Still life / arranged photos.
A person / few people engaging in unusual activity, or in incongruous surroundings.

Past photos taken that contain obvious points:

April - LookOutPost; SheepInField
May - Sheep&Barns (and cropped version); SquerrysCourt (1), (2), (3), (4)
Assignment One - Narrow, Still, Few, Intermittent, Light-Dark

Project Lines

3 kinds of straight lines: horizontal, vertical and diagonals. An impression of motion and tension is often created by diagonals. There are also curved lines, which create a sense of motion, like diagonals.

Horizontals

• The horizon
• Man-made flat surface
• Long shadows when the sun is low & to one side
• A row of subjects at the same distance from the camera
• A mass of objects seen from a low angle

Verticals

• Walls, posts and other man-made structures
• Tree trunks
• A standing human figure
• A road or path seen end-on from a high viewpoint
• A row of objects seen from a high viewpoint when the the sun is directly behind or in front of the camera.

Project Shapes
 

The importance of shape in an image is determined by contrast of tone or colour.

I think the picture of the Parthenon on page 88 of the course material, is taken using some sort of filter, perhaps UV, which gives a stronger contrast by making the sky darker.

Three basic types of regular shape:
Triangles, rectangles & circles.
Other regular shapes are sub-divisions or combinations of these.
The simplest and perhaps most valuable shape is the triangle. Triangles contain diagonals, making them dynamic and they also appear to point, which gives a sense of movement.
Rectangles are more obvious as they often appear in the form of man-made objects.

Triangles
They're easy to find due to the simple shape, with just three sides and three corners. Three prominent points will imply a triangle, however arranged.

Henri Cartier-Bresson often implemented triangles by implication into his images of people.
Example: Cartier-Bresson. (1999). The Europeans. First Edition. London: Thames & Hudson.
Image 87, Scanno, the Abruzzi, Italy, 1951

Rectangles

A straight forward method of dividing a frame is with horizontal and vertical lines, which form rectangles. They generally occur from man made structures. As they require less imagination, accuracy is very important, to avoid changing the shape through changing perspective.

Some examples of bold use of rectangles:

Cotton, C. (2009) The Photograph As Contemporary Art: Second Edition. London, Thames & Hudson Ltd.
Page 135: 130. Sabine Hornig, Window with Door, 2002.
Very precise framing, face on to the window, shows the distinct rectangles of the different window panes. The added interest comes from the reflections in the glass, although seeing where the photograher is standing takes something away from the overall effect, in my opinion.

Clarke, G. (1997) The Photograph: First Edition. New York, Oxford University Press Inc
Page 91: 46. Eugene Atget, Paris 5, 1912.
There are numerous rectangles in this image; several door frames, windows, balconies, and the largest on being the protruding facade of the building.

Circles

Circles are harder to find, especially implied, so their use in photography is limited. Most are actual circular objects. Circles do establish greater structure in an image than a triangle or rectangle though. This is because they are compact shapes and enclosing, drawing attention inwards.

Project - Rhythm & Pattern
Rhythm and pattern are two way that repetition is relayed visually. Rhythm connects with how the eye moves through a picture. The eye natually follows a rhythmical structure from left to right. Pattern is static and has to do the area. Patterns can be formed by placing rows of objects in an orderly fashion. Tight framing is required to form a pattern if the placing is irregular.