20mm, f/11, 1/60, ISO 200
Bruges, Belgium
Climbing to the top of the Belfort in Bruges, it was
difficult not to notice the prominent Church of Our Lady rising high amongst
the surrounding buildings. I thought this would be an effective, if slightly
risky interpretation of a single point dominating the composition. Risky, as
the background is not plain like grass or water, and because of the tower’s
elongated shape. These concerns are mitigated as I feel that from this
viewpoint (and especially without the further distraction of colour), the mass
of surrounding buildings takes on the function of a texture, rather than
individual structures, and the eye is not immediately drawn to their detail.
The upper part of the Church of Our Lady contrasts heavily against the light
sky, and the vertical tower juxtaposed with the horizon is another graphical
element which I feel instinctively draws the viewer’s eye. Even though it is
not evenly proportioned like a house for example would be, I believe it is an
object small and compact enough within the frame to qualify as a point. I have
placed the point slightly off-centre to avoid a static composition, but not too
close to the edge of the frame; an effect which I think would be too eccentric
and difficult to justify for the nature of the image.
Two Points
95mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 200
Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire
On the day I took this photograph there were a lot of row
boats and motor boats travelling up and down the river. My initial idea was to
use two different types of boats as points in my image, but I then noticed that
many of the large number of swans present were not shy about paddling near the
boats. I then thought that using two different types of subject, a boat and a
swan, for my two points would make for a more interesting image. Positioned on
the bank of the river, I waited until a suitable opportunity presented itself. I
knew that two points could imply a line to the viewer, and was keen to make
this a diagonal rather than horizontal or vertical line, as this would give a
more dynamic composition. In this particular image I decided to keep the bridge
in the background to add a degree of context, but purposely cropped out the
cars driving on the bridge as I felt these would be an unnecessary distraction.
In terms of balance, both points are roughly the same distance from the edge of
the frame, and the boat being the bigger point has the potential to upset the
balance of the image; however I feel the white swan, although smaller,
contrasts heavily against the darkness of the water, giving it extra
compositional ‘weight’.
Several Points in a Deliberate Shape
70mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 200
Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire
After moving on from my ‘two points’ image, I thought I
could perhaps deal with ‘several points’ at the same time, due to the large
number of objects on the water that day. I noticed a row boat with several
swans nearby, and thought I could compose an image once a shape became
apparent. I could see the two swans in the image above moving from left to
right across the river and knew that they would shortly create a triangle
formation with the row boat. Once all three elements had fallen into place, I
burst shot several images. In post-production I picked the image shown above,
as the oars of the boat were timed just perfectly, each pointing at a swan,
reinforcing the triangle formation, with the Gestalt Law of Closure allowing the mind to complete the shape. I
positioned the apex of the triangle near the top of the frame, partly to
emphasise the boat’s movement away from the camera, giving an increased
awareness of depth, and partly to avoid including distracting elements further
along the river.
Combination of Horizontal and Vertical Lines
35mm, f/8, 1/200, ISO 200
Ironbridge, Shropshire
The horizontal
and vertical lines in this image serve to bring to the viewer’s attention to the
white building just off-centre in the frame. The many vertical and horizontal
lines produce a feeling of stability, which is then infused into the subject
matter; manmade objects that by their nature are desired to be very stable:
railings, a bench, a house. In The
Photographer’s Eye, Michael Freeman asserts that curved lines ‘make a more substantial contrast with
straight lines than do the various types of straight lines among themselves’.
I decided to incorporate that graphical idea into this image by including the
bridge on the very left of the image. By pushing the bridge right against the edge
of the frame the straight lines still dominate the composition, but they are
discretely challenged by the curved line of the bridge, making the overall
grounded and static image a little more active. The diagonals of the house roof
also act in a similar although less substantial way to the curves.
Diagonals
195mm, f/8, 1/400, ISO 200
Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire
As I discovered in the exercises for this part of the
course, diagonals are numerous as they often just depend on your own
perspective of a straight line. For this image I chose a more literal depiction
of diagonals, as I felt that the subject matter expressed diagonals so
strongly. I purposely didn’t include a single complete deckchair, and instead
chose to shoot varying portions of several. By doing this I think that the
viewer’s attention is primarily focused on the diagonals, not the subject
itself. What I like most about this image is the various types of diagonals,
going in many different directions in the frame. This in itself keeps the
viewer busy, while the canvas on the chairs, billowed by the breeze, creates
curves which make the image even more active by contrasting strongly with the
diagonals.
Curves
55mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 200
Ironbridge, Shropshire
When I observed this scene, I realised that it ticked all of
the boxes of how curved lines are useful. In The Photographer’s Eye, Michael Freeman states that curved lines
have associations to do with being ‘gentle,
flowing, graceful and elegant’, which while not being suitable for a busy
city scene, suits this small village road particularly well. Curves are also
particularly attractive when they undulate, and they also have a relationship
to circles (three of which can be ‘seen’ in this image), giving an enclosing
sensation. The ‘Law of Good Continuation’ is also at play here, as your mind
fills in the missing parts of the curved line, which takes the form of a
leading line, leading the viewer’s eyes through the scene.
Distinct, even if Irregular, Shapes
45mm, f/8, 1/400, ISO 200
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire
I was initially observing this scene as a potential image
unrelated to this assignment. Thoughts of the assignment soon took over though,
as I noticed the strong oblong shapes of the empty window panes, and the
diagonal of the roof with which I knew I could create a triangle with the edge
of the frame, particularly as the dark stones contrasted so well with the clear
sky. I didn’t frame too closely here though as I also wanted to retain the
triangular shape of the pointed roof section. The distant flag fluttering in
the breeze also seemed like something I could work with, if I could contrast
it. I lined the far building inside one of the window panes, letting the flag
appear in the pane above. This window pane then serves as a sort of frame for
the flag, and of the several images taken I selected one where the flag was
just at the right angle to create two triangles with the edges of the window
pane.
Implied Triangle 1
55mm, f/8, 1/320, ISO 200
Ironbridge, Shropshire
The concept
of using the edges of the frame in combination with the subject matter to
create shapes is something that really intrigues me, and my image above is
inspired by Michael Freeman’s image printed on page 89 in the course folder. In
my image there are two implied triangles approximating black and white. These
shapes are created by the contrast of the dark foliage with the light sky, and
by a close crop. I felt that this on its own would not make for an interesting
image, so I included the power station chimneys, the vertical lines of which
contrast with the diagonals elsewhere in the frame, making the scene more
dynamic.
Implied Triangle 2
50mm, f/8, 1/640, ISO 200
Ironbridge, Shropshire
This image shows the sort of opportunity a photographer
might miss if they weren’t thinking ‘geometrically’. I casually noticed the two
workmen on ladders, then the ‘Law of Closure’ and ‘Law of Good Continuation’
came into play, and I noticed the triangle shape they created, the apex of
which would be at the top of the roof of the house, with the horizontal part of
the triangle being the barely visible portion of fence right at the bottom of
the image. I think small details can also have a great subconscious effect on
how a viewer perceives shapes and lines; for example the workman on the left is
reaching up at the same angle as the perceived side of the triangle. This acts
as a pointing line, helping the ‘Law of Closure’ to do its job.
Implied Triangle 3
52mm, f/8, 1/250, ISO 800
Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Inverted
triangles are difficult to find, but when found the rewards in terms of
dynamism in the image can be great. Here I noticed the distinct triangle with
the apex at the bottom on this half-timbered building. This creates a conflict
between the solid nature of a building, and the gravitationally unstable
perception of an inverted triangle. I framed the shot carefully, attempting as
much symmetry either side of the triangle as possible (which is very difficult
with such an old and crooked building!) in order to emphasise the shape and
make the triangle the primary thing the viewer notices.
Rhythm
22mm, f/5, 1/400, ISO 800
Bruges, Belgium
Prior to this part of the course, if I were going to take an
image of a repetitive feature, I probably would have done everything possible
to exclude extra objects from the
frame; I now realise that this would probably make for a dull and monotonous
image. When I saw this row of windows as a potential image for ‘rhythm’, I
looked for something I could include to break the rhythm. Someone had helpfully
left their bicycle propped against the building, and thought this would be
perfect for the job. I remembered the advice in the course materials to place
the object to the right of the frame to allow the eye to establish the rhythm
before noticing it. I think the bicycle works particularly well as its
horizontal shape contrasts well with the mostly horizontal rhythm.
Pattern
110mm, f/8, 1/160, ISO 200
Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire
I saw a balloon seller holding a huge bunch of helium
balloons, and thought they would make an excellent candidate for ‘pattern’. I
then found I had a dilemma; should I include the balloon seller in the image to
add context, or keep strictly to the concept of the pattern exceeding the edges
of the frame? After experimenting with my images in post-production I decided
to not include the seller, as I felt it didn’t suggest the concept of ‘pattern’
as strongly as the chosen images does. Even though the balloons are all
different shapes, as they are pushed together so closely it gives the
impression more of texture than of a group of separate objects. This disorder also
helps to create a more interesting image than would a carefully lined up row of
balloons all of the same shape and design.
Meeting the Assessment Criteria
Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills
In this part
of the course I have attempted to explore the concepts given while also
implementing the techniques learnt in part one. Resources that have proved
particularly helpful are Michael Freeman’s book ‘The Photographer’s Eye’ and Ben Long’s video course ‘Foundations of Photography: Exposure’. These,
along with the course materials have helped me to think ‘geometrically’ while
working the assignment, and I’ve found that I’ve looked at the world in a whole
new way. I chose to present this assignment in greyscale, as this removes the
added distraction of colour, helping to put across my intended concepts,
focusing on line and shape.
Quality of Outcome
My aim in
this assignment, as in the others is to present a high-quality, polished end product
that demonstrates that I have learnt then applied the relevant techniques and
concepts. I feel that I have communicated well my thought processes during the
creation of each image, and justified the fairly wide range of subject matter I
have used. Technically, I feel that I have been much more aware during this
assignment; thinking in terms of lines and shapes has made me more likely to
notice images that aren’t quite level, or objects within the frame that
probably should have been cropped out.
Demonstration of Creativity
I was
adamant that for this assignment I wasn’t going to gather a nice looking
collection of objects and create a series of still-life images. Rather than
create a literal interpretation of the assignment, I have attempted to find
real world scenes where the concepts of shape and line are at play, and use
them to create images where the subject is attractive but subordinate to the
underlying geometric structure within the frame. I find the psychology of viewing an image,
and the collaboration of the eye and the mind extremely interesting, and I feel
that I have successfully embodied those psychological processes into my images.
Context
As
previously noted, my main areas of research in this part of the course have
been ‘The Photographer’s Eye’ of
which the supplied example images were very helpful at encouraging me to
visually identity the discussed concepts. The ‘Foundations of Photography:
Composition’ video course also goes into quite some detail about lines and
shapes, and provided many examples that I could use as an imaginative
springboard for creating my own images. I have taken on board my tutor’s advice
about analysing the work of level 2 and 3 students, which is something I will
continue to do for the remainder of the course.
No comments:
Post a Comment