The Formal Elements
The Formal Elements are the parts used to make a photograph. The art elements are line, shape, form, tone, texture, pattern, colour and composition. They are often used together, and how they are organised in a piece of art determines what the finished piece will look like.
LineLine is the strongest and most important and influential out of the formal elements. Without line there is no shape. Without shape there can be no form. Without form there can be no texture and there can be no pattern. Lines are powerful tools that can be used smartly to lead the viewers eyes towards the point of interest in a photograph, and alter the overall feeling and mood of an image.
TextureNo design element is more capable of moving your deep emotions than texture. The challenge of seeing and capturing texture is mostly based on one element - light. Texture can be accentuated by the side light of early sunny mornings or early evenings, or by overhead light when the sun is vertical and high in the sky.
CompositionComposition is the arrangement of objects in a photograph. There are various guidelines and artistic conventions that attempt to describe what makes a good composition. The most widely recognized of these is the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds involves dividing the rectangular frame of the photograph into nine equally-sized sections using two imaginary vertical lines and two imaginary horizontal lines. The photographer then tries to align the main objects of the photograph along the lines or at their points of intersection. This is believed to create a balanced and aesthetically pleasing composition.
ColourColor is characterized by attributes such as value, hue, and saturation. Colors, and how they're arranged, can either make or break a shot. Different colors can send out different messages, and they indeed have an important visual weight and impact on a photo.
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ShapeThe second most fundamental element of design is shape, because shape is the principal element of identification. The most important thing to keep in mind when shape is the essential element in an image is that it is best defined when the subject is frontlit or backlit. For that shape to be successfully identifiable, it needs to be in strong contrast with its surroundings so that it is detached from the clutter around it.
ToneTone is probably the most intangible element of composition. Tone may consist of shadings from white-to-gray-to-black, or it may consist of darks against lights with little or no grays. The use of dark areas against light areas is a common method of adding the feeling of a third dimension to a two-dimensional black-and-white picture. The interaction of light against dark shades in varying degrees helps to set the mood of a composition. A picture consisting of dark or somber shades conveys mystery, intrigue, or sadness. When the tones are mostly light and airy, the picture portrays lightness, joy, or airiness.
PatternOur minds automatically organize the things we see into patterns and shapes. Patterns and shapes can be aesthetically pleasing and draw attention to a photograph.There are three important aspects of patterns and shape: rhythm, symmetry and triangles. Rhythm is where a shape is repeated in a photograph. Symmetry is when a photograph looks like it consists of two objects that are mirror images of each other. Symmetry can be subverted so the two objects are similar but not quite alike, which can be used to highlight difference and contrast. Triangles are formed within a photograph by two diagonal lines. These draw the viewer into the photograph and make the photograph more interesting.
FormForm is basically a three-dimensional shape, and is best accentuated by side lighting since it casts soft elegant shadows, and the difference between light and shadows gives a better illustration of the depth of an object and amplifies the sensual understanding of its meaning and message.
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Francesca WoodmanThe image is in black & white like the majority of Woodman's photos. The light is coming in from the top right of the image but the source of light is just off camera. The subject of the photo has her arms running parallel to the trees in the background and has bark wrapped round her hands and wrist. This makes it look as if her arms are also trees. The whole photography has a natural aesthetic since it is taken in the woods and because the type of black & white she uses is more on a grey scale, the colour of her arms blends with the with the trees. The exhibition is based around zig-zags so the use of lines running against each other captures that well. I also like how she could have framed it without showing the head of the woman to possibly keep up the illusion but she choses to keep it in which I believe makes for a better photograph because it adds another element to the natural theme, since a person is an element of nature. Also the shade of her hair in black and white works well against the leaves and trees in the foreground. |
Vivian MaierThis photo includes a lot of straight lines. It is a photo of a man carrying a mirror so it captures Maier taking the photo as well. The subject could be either the man, her or the mirror but since she is slightly out of focus it doesn't look like its her. The composition of the photo is impressive because of the rule of thirds. The lighting is also good, with the right and middle being very well lit and the left being darker. The lighting is likely sunlight because it is coming from directly above and it is diffused. The photo is in black & white. The light in the image is coming from directly overhead, so the top of the man carrying the mirror is completely lit, with shadows falling on the difference creases of his jacket. This is also evident from looking into the mirror, because the mirror is being held at an angle it gives a a perspective from higher up because you can see the ground Maier is standing on, which is brightly lit and the walls behind her. You can also see that she is standing on the edge of the road. This, along with the wall that is a few metre behind her which is the same kind of brick building as buildings in front of the man, and the mess of the mans left hand side, allow the viewer to begin to piece together in our minds the space that this photograph was taken in, Speaking of the mess, the entire left third of the image appears to show a skip of rubbish including old sheets and duvets etc. and it appears that the man is lifting the mirror into this rubbish heap. This section of the image shows a sharp contrast between dark and light, with things being more black and dark grey on one side and more light grey on the other and it also shows a contrast between the clutter and confusion of this side where the viewer can't completely understanding how it all works in relation to each other, and the rest of the image where it isn't as nonsensical and you can clearly see how the different pieces relate.
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Light + Line
I took these images with the elements of light and line in mind. However the outcome appears to have more of a focus on tone and that element definitely appears frequently across all my photographs. I was experimenting with shutter speed in this shoot so a large amount of my pictures came out looking blurry and unfocussed. This effect makes the lines between each part of the image indistinct which in hindsight doesn't work in the context of 'light and line'. However I while taking these images I used tried to use the lights and shadows to create different effects. Also I think my pictures are too complicated in that there are too many contrasting shapes and colours included. In my next set of photographs I will be using less objects and will focus in on maybe only 3-4 objects so that I can put more emphasis on line. While I did like the blur effect I used in this set and how some parts of the images became transparent and the different kind of lines this created, for my next shoot I will try and create more sharp and distinct lines.
Light & Line #2
In this set of formal elements images I was more focussed on capturing the elements of light and light and I had more of an understanding of what that entails. I made my photos much less blurred than last time as I wanted the lines to be much more distinguished and prominent and sharp. I focussed in on many small details to show line and created shapes and forms by using different angles. I photographed a lot of shadows and experimented with different lighting, changing the camera settings often to see different ways I could shoot using more or less light. I also pictured different light sources such as beams and bulbs. While many of the photos in this set are of objects and their details close-up I also wanted to see how I could incorporate people into the images, as my last set was almost exclusively of people but I didn't feel I executed it correctly so I tried again. One part of this is making sure the images are in sharp focus so you can see the lines and shape of the people and I also showed the way the light bounced of the people's features, as well as using silhouettes to show outlines. In the future I will try this again but get even closer to see even more specific aspects and features. Some of these images could be improved by not incorporating as much into the frame and having more of a focus on just two or three aspects, as some of the pictures in this set still have too much going on.
Texture + Line
In this set of formal elements images I mainly focussed on capturing different textures but also wanted the images to be sharp, not blurry so the use of line would be clear. I also made these images significantly simpler than ones I've taken in the past for formal elements. I wanted to only use one or two subjects per photo so the viewer could focus more on a singular object. The images are no cluttered and have a clear concentration. I stay indoors when photographing this set of images and stuck to one room so this set is like an exploration of the different textures of the contents of this room, being furniture, walls, books etc. I made sure to get in very close when taking the pictures so as to make the smallest details clear. I stuck to one colour scheme taking a lot of similar shades of browns and reds. As the room I was in was dark at had to change settings around on the camera so it would still be visable what I was taking. In getting in very close to the objects I managed to make it not obvious what a lot of the images were of, as you can just see the different lines and curves and the object's textures rather than simply an clear obvious image of a book for example.