Multiple Points

I enjoyed this exercise, although I found it very challenging. The concept is to place multiple points in such a way that they don't look obviously placed, and as such don't make regular shapes or patterns. As suggested, I worked with my camera mounted on a tripod in a fixed position, then placed and moved points as necessary. Previous to actually using my camera, I completed some rough sketches, as a type of practise in placing multiple points. My final images are shown below; for added interest I had experimented with cropping to a square frame in post production.

42mm, f/11, 0.3s, ISO 200

This image shows my 'backdrop'; a plain carpet with two different shaped and textured rocks, creating a similar environment to the image featured on page 73 of the course folder. They are placed side by side, as I want my points to create the dynamic feel of the final image.

42mm, f/11, 0.4s, ISO 200

Here I've placed my first point slightly off-centre, so as not not to create a too obvious equilateral triangle formation, although a more irregular triangle shape is still produced here.

42mm, f/11, 0.3s, ISO 200

For this point I wanted to fill some of the empty space on the left side of the scene, created by my off-centre first point. Here I have created a quadrilateral formation, but with this second point slightly lower than the first, again to avoid a regular shape being formed.

42mm, f/11, 0.3s, ISO 200

I wanted my end result to be the points forming a undulating curve towards the bottom of the frame, but I thought that continuing that path with this third point would appear too artificial, and would create an obvious leading line. Instead, I opted to revisit the top of the frame and create a little more crowding there to fill in some of the regular sized gaps being formed.

42mm, f/11, 0.3s, ISO 200

I thought it now time to continue my main 'curved' idea, intentionally choosing a shell for my fourth point of such a shape that it could 'point' in a certain direction, in this case towards the bottom right of the frame. I chose to place it between the second and third points to create some cohesion with the group, rather than filling some of the space on the left hand side which may have appeared to artificial a placement.

42mm, f/11, 0.3s, ISO 200

For my final point I continued the curved pattern, choosing a shell that 'pointed' out of the frame, as if to exit the scene. I am quite pleased with my final arrangement, as it feels fairly natural, but still leads the viewer's eye on a journey through the frame, with a definitive starting point at the rocks, to the exit at the bottom right corner.

This is the final image again, this time with annotations showing the lines and shapes involved. The red line shows the undulating curved path taken by the points which the viewer's eye would likely follow. The green lines show the triangles formed by the points, which gives an extra element of structure to the image.