Part Two. Elements of design

Principles of graphic design in photography.

Project : Points

It makes perfect sense that the point is such an important design element in a photograph. Flicking through my back catalogue I have come across many photographs in which a single point dominates the frame, in some more obviously than in others.

Exercise : Positioning a point.

Photograph 1

In photograph 1 I have used a bird as a single point. As the creature is facing to the right I have positioned it in the left hand side of the frame. As the birds head also has a slightly downwards aspect I have also made a point of positioning it in the top half of the image. This has the effect of drawing the viewers eye through the frame following the apparent gaze of the bird. 

Photograph 2

In photograph 2 I have positioned a small fountain in the top right hand area of the frame. Similarly to photograph 1, the ripples created by the running water draw the eye of the observer through the frame as they make their way towards the edges of the composition.

Photograph 3

Photograph 3 sees the point placed in the left side and at the bottom of the frame. This gives the subject an area of the frame to face into and a large expanse of space in which to "hit".

Exercise : The relationship between points.

Photograph 4

I took a picture of a pair of Scarlet Ibis for Photograph 4. They are positioned in such a way that each occupies it's own 1/3rd of the composition, therefore dividing the frame according to the rule of thirds. In this instance the bird at the top of the frame is the dominant point as, appearing in profile, it appears to be the larger of the two objects even though they are both pretty much the same size in reality.

Photograph 5

In photograph 5, again featuring two birds, the dominant point is the duck on the left of the image. Primarily because it is closest to the centre, but also because it appears to be leading the other duck through the frame.

Photograph 6

Photograph 6. Yes. Wow. The viewers attention really does dart between the two eyes. This image actually has a sinister look to it. It is very difficult to settle the sight on a single point in this picture.

Exercise : Multiple points. 

For this exercise I bought a bag of sweets to spread around on a background which I tried to keep slightly plain but with a little bit of interest. I did shuffle the composition around a little during the exercise. Sometimes it just didn't look right or appeared to be unbalanced. I eventually arrived at an image which contains two distinct, slightly angled lines and one item which acts as a "tie" between the two lines and  forms a triangle with  them.