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.

Positioning a Point

I'm excited about making a start on part two of the course, as this 'graphic design' area of photography is where I will be able to push my photography forward, especially in the unseen and implied aspects. I have been made aware of the geometry of photographs before, in the video course Foundations of Photography: Composition instructed by Ben Long. I've found all of Ben Long's instructional videos that I have studied so far very useful indeed, but one thing that was not entirely clear was points. The relevant section in my course materials as well as Michael Freeman's book The Photographers Eye made it much clearer for me. Here are three of my own previously taken photographs which I think contain a point or points:

55mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 200

This is one of my earliest photos taken with my DSLR. Although the eagle is quite large in the frame due to the wing spread and zoom level, the fact that it is a distinct, concise shape set against a plain backdrop I think qualifies it as a point. Due to my inexperience and the speed of the bird in flight, framing would have been quite tricky, but I imagine I was trying to get the subject centered within the frame. As luck would have it, the bird is ever so slightly off-centre, creating a very modest amount of tension in the image. With hindsight I would instead have probably moved the position of the subject further to the left hand side, creating an area in front of the eagle in which it could 'travel' into.

55mm, f/5.6, 1/125, ISO 200

A more cluttered background here, but the fairly shallow depth of field brings just my subject and the three stalks at the same depth in the frame into sharp focus. Another early photo, taken a few days after the eagle image above. Again I have centered the subject due to inexperience, however I will say that looking at the image now, I could possibly justify this central position of the butterfly due to the three stalks of foliage, of which the butterfly is landed on the middle one. This creates a kind of symmetry which I do actually like, and would be lost if the butterfly were positioned either side of centre. The very light colour of the subject sets it apart from the greens and browns which dominate most of the remainder of the image.

105mm, f/11 1/50, ISO 200

This represents a perhaps not so clear-cut example of a point, in the form of a water droplet. The water droplet, being transparent, is not as clearly set apart from the background as the other examples above. Also, the yellow centre of the flower creates a contrasting rather than plain background. Nonetheless due to the difference in focus, I feel that the droplet is a point, and here it is placed slightly off-centre on both axis, creating what I feel to be a suitable amount of dynamic tension, given the placid subject matter. A too extreme offsetting of the droplet may have been jarring in the circumstances. Potentially, this image represents two points, of similar shape and size: the aforementioned droplet, and the dark circle at the centre of the yellow part of the flower. This would give an implied 'line' beginning at the top left corner and heading roughly towards its opposite in the bottom right.

95mm, f/8, 1/640, ISO 200

This image of a swan is probably  how I'd usually approach taking a photograph like this. The swan is a little off-centre (although it conceivably could be closer to the center while preserving the effect), and is positioned to the left of the frame, as its direction of travel is to the right, thereby giving the swan room to 'move' within the frame.

135mm, f/8, 1/640, ISO 200

Here, the swan is turning towards the camera, so is facing more head-on than the previous image making it a more compact shape. It is pressed right up to the edge of the frame with barely a gap, and giving no room for the swan to travel, making for a very claustrophobic feel to the image. In different circumstances, with a different, stationary, subject this may not have been an issue.

135mm, f/8, 1/800, ISO 200

In this image, the point is central on the horizontal plane, but not the vertical plane. With hindsight I perhaps should have experimented with placing the swan directly in the centre of the frame; I think I subconsciously avoided this due to the static nature of a point in the centre of the frame. With the swan facing the camera, positioning it off-centre towards the bottom of the frame, with space behind it feels more natural and dynamic, giving the impression of the swan moving towards the viewer.

Multiple Points

For this exercise I was keen to avoid any obvious shapes being made with my choice of objects, although I did want said objects to imply shapes, and to serve some kind of purpose. In choosing my objects for this exercise, I had several different ideas including glass marbles, coins (alongside a wallet or purse), board game pieces, jewellery, small bath bombs, etc. On other people's learning blogs, rune stones and similar objects were used frequently. I wanted to do things a little bit differently, and eventually thought of using paint droplets (the thick, acrylic type of paint that wont run everywhere), with a paintbrush as the background subject. With this idea fixed in my mind, I realised that it would be difficult if not impossible to rearrange my droplets once placed onto the canvas, so instead I decided to sketch out the scene in pencil first. This enabled me to experiment with placement then transfer my final idea to the paint materials. This is my final sketch:

From top to bottom, the droplets imply a quadrilateral, then a triangle, then another triangle, then two more quadrilaterals:

As well as implying shapes, I wanted the viewer's eye to be led through the canvas, achieved with an overall 'Z' shape being formed by the brush and droplets:

EDIT: I decided not to continue with this idea, and instead used a few small solid objects that I had in my home. Envisioning paint droplets and sketching them this way certainly helped in terms of my thinking in the placement of multiple points though.

Brainstorming Possible Subjects as Points

Point

A single object distinct from background.
A small part of the total image.

Placement of Points

Dead-centre is static and usually dull, although it can be unconventionally attractive if justifiable.
Very close to the edge is eccentric and requires justification.
Slightly off-centre is moderately dynamic without being extreme.
The point may be placed to balance another element in the scene - remember the white bird and the patch of sunlight.
Remember rules of balance when positioning two points. A larger point would be placed nearer to the centre of the frame, with the smaller point further towards the edge for balance.


Single Point Exercise

swans/ducks on lake Y
object on field
plane/object in sky
interesting mark on tree bark Y
point of light in darkness
coloured centre of a flower Y
something on table
logo/button on clothing
moon against night sky
sunset against sky
some kind of shadow on light, or light on shadow
a reflection on a surface
object on plain wall
macro of musical note on page
object on garden (high viewpoint)
rusty lock/keyhole on door Y
building on horizon
hay bale
stone at brownshore
road sign


Multiple Points Exercise

Six to ten objects needed

coloured stones/beads
monopoly pieces on board
coins on notes
pieces of jewellery
water/paint droplets
mah jong tiles
chess pieces
rocks/pebbles
buttons
wallet and coins on nice background YYY
paintbrush/paint droplets YYY