Project: Rhythm and Pattern

Exercise : Rhythms and Patterns

Photograph 1. Rhythm

To demonstrate rhythm I composed a frame in an underground walkway, decorated with a series of mural boards. The evenly spaced boards guide the viewer through the frame with a little help from the depicted characters as they all face the same way. The rhythm is eventually broken by the two ladies walking out of the frame to the left.

Photograph 2. Pattern.

Photograph 2 was taken in a shop and demonstrates the use of bright colours and irregular shapes. Tight framing has created the sense of pattern, appearing to leave no end to the number of hats on display.

Project: Shapes

The image of the Parthenon and that of the insect are a very interesting pairing. They are essentially negative images of each other. The use of a polarising filter has darkened the sky in The Parthenon image whilst the huge amount of light on the building itself demonstrates high levels of detail. In the silhouetted insect we see the light facing directly into us meaning all detail in the subject matter is lost, leaving us with just the outline, or shape.

Exercise : Real and implied triangles.

Real Triangles.

Photograph 1

In photograph 1 I have simply taken a picture of a triangular structure, in this instance a building support. Oddly enough I find it much more aesthetically appealing than a similar support made up of two or more vertical buttresses.

Photograph 2

Photograph 2 demonstrates a triangle by perspective towards the top of the frame. This is achieved by composing the picture from a high angle and pointing the camera downwards.

Photograph 3

Photograph 3 is an inverted triangle by perspective, achieved in an opposite manner to the previous shot, by pointing the camera upwards at a high angle.

I found it much easier to achieve the results above by employing a wide angle lens. Such results would have been difficult for me to obtain using a telephoto lens.

Implied Triangles.

Photograph 4

Photograph 4 is a still life composition, with the objects arranged in such a way as to appear triangular when viewed. The apex is at the top of the frame in this instance.

Photograph 5

Again a still life picture, but in this instance Photograph 5 demonstrates a triangular composition with the apex at the bottom.

Photograph 6

Photograph 6 shows a group of friends forming a loose triangular structure. I think this composition could possibly be slightly too close to a straight line, although having the tallest person at the back has helped a little.

The structure provided by triangular compositions to varying degrees certainly appear to give these pictures a positive aesthetic appeal. The way in which the shape dominates the frame is quite striking. I found myself drawn to a triangular composition in the project on "Points" when arranging my still life "Multiple Points" image.


Rectangles.

Looking through my library I find very few photographs containing true rectangles. As a result of having the camera even just slightly tilted one way or the other most of my images contain "Almost" rectangles.

In this image the columns of windows directly opposite my viewpoint have created a perfect rectangle. However, all the other points in the composition which are rectangular in real life have been distorted by the effect of perspective within the photograph.














Circles.

I rarely take pictures of circles. Here is an image from a trip to Italy a couple of years ago. There is other content within the composition of course but it is completely dominated by the big circle. It makes a powerful statement.

Project: Using lines in composition.

Using supplied images initially, the brief was to make a small sketch of each and show the respective implied lines. Using my VERY limited drawing skills I have made an effort!

In the first picture there is a curved line along the floor that draws the viewer into the scene. Once there the direction in which the bull is travelling brings the attention solely to the matador, taking up a prominent position near the centre of the frame.

In the second sketch there is a much more dominant implied line between the man and the horse nearest to him. The eye line between the two elements is emphasised by the lunging rope occupying a similar space in the composition.

Here I can find three implied lines. Firstly the direction of the horses, moving right towards the edge of the frame. The female spectator is staring intently at the horses whilst the Police officer seems more interested in his shoe.

 

In this image the camel handler has his eyes on the knee of the beast to ensure that his instructions are being obeyed. This is emphasised by the stick being used to ensure obedience. The rider has his eyes firmly fixed on the handler.

In the third image, just the line of the wall leading up to the bird is needed to draw the viewer into the frame. The eye line from the woman to the same bird helps to ensure the subject matter cannot be ignored.

I took this photograph at a rock concert this week. There is an eye line between the musician and his hand on the bass fretwork. It gives the observer a real feel for what is actually going on in the composition.

In this picture the eyes follow the line of the windows up to the figure of the woman on the right who is patiently waiting for a bus. 

To finish this exercise I have to admit to surprise at how the shadows in the pictures of a mansion and a tree from the textbook demonstrate how such a static scene can be made more dynamic by the use of something as simple as shadows. The outward movement is a result of shooting into the sun and using the shadows to create the required dynamic tension. It really works.

Project: Lines

Exercise : Horizontal and Vertical Lines.

The use of vertical and horizontal lines in design. The brief was to take four photographs each demonstrating the use of vertical and horizontal lines.

Photograph 1

Photograph 1 illustrates a steel girder support column. The contrast in colour immediately draws the eye to it.

Photograph 2

Photograph 2 is simply the edge of a wall. I have used a wide aperture to throw the background out of focus, making the vertical line the centre of attention.

Photograph 3

In Photograph 3 I have framed a tall building under construction as the vertical line. The vague reflection in the river offers continuity to the line.

Photograph 4

Photograph 4 shows a dark lamp post contrasting against a very pale sky.

Photograph 5

Photograph 5, the first of the horizontal lines, is a red painted spar against a black background. Again, a shallow depth of field keeps the eyes firmly on the horizontal line.

Photograph 6

A line of motor scooters represents the horizontal line in Photograph 6. Although not as demanding of the attention as in the previous picture, the line is still a fundamental design element in this composition.

Photograph 7

In Photograph 7 I have used a stark contrast in colour to represent the horizontal line.

Photograph 8

Similarly to the picture of motor scooters, Photograph 8 is an evenly spaced line of objects, in this instance, a line of park benches. The slight upward tilt of the composition guides the eyes of the viewer through the image to the right.

Exercise : Diagonals

Brief, to take 4 photographs demonstrating the use of diagonals in composition.

Photograph 9

Photograph 9 is a straightforward point of the camera into a long corridor creating many converging lines.

Photograph 10

Photograph 10 shows a number of shadows being produced by the sun shining through a red glazed window.

Photograph 11

A similar type of composition to the corridor shot, Photograph 11 was taken with a tilted camera along the side of a building.

Photograph 12

In Photograph 12 the sun has cast the shadows from railings across the pavement creating this pleasing diagonal effect.

Exercise : Curves.

Demonstrate the use of curves to emphasise movement and direction.

Photograph 13

Photograph 13 demonstrates the use of a large foreground subject which then leads the eyes away along the line of benches and through the frame in an "S" curve.

Photograph 14

In Photograph 14 I have used a shallow depth of field and focused on the nearest car, then used the curve in the row of parked vehicles to take the viewer through the frame.

Photograph 15

Photograph 15 is a symmetrical shot of opposing fence curves. The eyes are drawn to the crossing point of the two railings.  Again a shallow depth of field helps to hold the attention.

Photograph 16

Photograph 16 uses the shallow curve of the wall and line of trees to take the viewer through the frame up to the solitary person sitting on the bench.

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.

A couple of days off

Just finishing a week of very early shifts has left me with flat batteries. So I took a couple of days off and just did some light reading in between naps and general vegging out. Browsing through Flickr I found this comment on a photo, made by Bajanexile,

"Cityscape/Architectural images MUST be sharp and it makes you look at technique very closely. The tecniques established for Architectural images can be transferred directly to landscapes. High Shutter speeds in the open countryside should not be ignored. Stick with Auto-ISO for all images where a tripod is not possible and you have an increased probability of success."

I haven't heard that before. Certainly worth experimenting with.