Exercise Positioning a Point

This exercise is straightforward. You have to experiment with different positions in which you can place a single point in the frame.

There are essentially three classes of position. The middle, a little off-centre, and close to the edge. Placing a point in the centre of the frame rarely works. Mainly because of the static nature it produces. Although it’s not a rule, you might want to justify it on the grounds of being unconventional.

For this exercise, you have to take three photographs in which there is a single point, placed in a different part of the frame in each example. Justify your reasons in a short note under the picture.

For this exercise, I saw a wood-pigeon sat on a branch in the tree in my garden.
This was a moment in time in when I thought, this would be a perfect setting for this exercise.

For each photograph, I decided to convert  the colour to Black and White. I wanted to see whether or not changing the colour would have a different effect on the position of the point. Changing it to Black and White was suggested in the beginning of the chapter.

First Photograph: Central Position

I began by positioning the bird in the centre of the frame. The bird looks very static in nature. There is no movement in the image.

I then converted the image to Black and White to see whether or not that would have any effect on the point in the image.

Because the image is quite dark anyway, changing it to black and white darkened it even more. The black and white image makes the pigeon blend into the dark tree, whereas, having the image in colour and the bird sat against a blue background, the bird stands out more against the colour background. It’s not as dark as having it in black and white.

With this central position, having the image in colour works best for the position of the point.

I then looked at the Graphic relationship that the point has within the frame. I decided that the white feathers around the bird’s neck was the main point in which I focused in on first. I drew the lines, horizontally and vertically through the white feathers.Even though the photograph has the subject placed centrally, the main focal point which is the white feathers, are not fully centrally central after I had divided the image. However, it still has no movement and the image is still static.

 Second Photograph: Off Centre.

  Watching the planes flying over where I was stood, I knew that I could photograph them, and show movement at the same time. I positioned the plane off centre. As the plane was pointing downwards, but turning at the same time, I was able to capture the movement. Having it off centre helps to show the planes movement, yet it also keeps your focus on the subject as it is still placed almost central in the frame.

As the photograph doesn’t contain much colour, and the plane is black against the sky, I decided to not turn the image black and white. I then decided to look at the graphic relationship that the plane has within the frame.

Looking closely at the image, I found that the darker section of the plane, which was the wings, is what drew my attention first. Therefore, I drew the vertical and horizontal lines through the planes wings.

Third Photograph: Left Hand Side of the Frame

  Whilst on the beach, I noticed a few horse and pony riders. I stood still and waited for them to ride past. I focused on one specific pony, and photographed it in the left hand corner of the frame. I had to photograph it quickly as the pony was running extremely fast. Having placed them in the left hand corner, helped me to show the movement and the direction in which they were riding. Due to the feet of the pony being spread apart, it helps to show movement even more.

As with the previous image, I decided to not convert this image to black and white as the pony is already dark. Therefore I decided to look at the graphic relationship. Looking closely at the image, the main point which draws my attention first is the top of the rider’s head aswell as the end of the pony’s  nose area. Therefore I drew the horizontal and vertical lines through the top of the rider’s head and through the pony’s nose area.

Overall Opinion:

I found this exercise quite difficult. Positioning the subjects within the frame was easy, however, finding the graphic relationship between the point and the frame, took me a while to understand. I decided to focus on what drew my attention first . So with each point, I looked at the main point. For example, with the aeroplane, the main point which drew my attention first was the dark sections of the wings. therefore, that is where I drew the horizontal and vertical lines, to show where I believed the graphic relationship points was. This would have to be an exercise I would have to retry again, in order for me to understand graphic relationships.

Introduction Project Points

The point is the most fundamental design element. For a subject to qualify as a point, it has to be small in the frame, and contrast with its surroundings. The most obvious scene in which you can find a single point, is where the setting or background is plain and even, and from which you are at a sufficient distance for an object to occupy just a fraction of the space.

In preparation for the first exercise in this section, jot down as many types of situations as you can think of which would make a clear photograph of a point. Consider the kind of background and how lighting alone can create a point.

My Examples:

1. A Green field with one tree. Blue sky or sunrise.
2. A Green field with one scarecrow. Blue sky.
3. A field with a scarecrow at dusk, dark background.
4. A tree in a field with no leaves, autumn weather/setting.
5. Plain blue sky with no clouds, one bird in flight.
6. Blue sea with one boat, day light
7. Sea with one boat with dusk or dark lighting
8. Centre of a flower, against the colour from the petals. Day light.
9. Car parked on its own on a road. Dark background.

A point which is small and distinct within the frame becomes a strong point. When the point becomes larger, they or it is still distinct, but to what extent? It may still draw the eye strongly, so it fulfills the basic function of a point and focusing the attention. The larger the point appears in the frame, the less its ‘points-like qualities’ gradually become.

The next thing to do is to look through past images you’ve taken and note those that contain an obvious point.In some examples, you may find that whilst the subject is small enough to appear as a point, where some case the subject is isolated yet larger.

First Photograph:

The first image is of a jelly fish. The ‘point’ (jelly fish), is positioned centrally in the frame. As mentioned in the introduction, it does have a somewhat static nature. The subject is small so it does have a ‘point’ like quality, even though I have zoomed in closer to the subject.

Second Photograph:

The second image is of a small animal at the zoo. The animal is positioned off centre in the frame, however, there is 2 burrow holes and a chunk of wood towards the left hand corner. Because the fur is a lighter colour, it stands out more against the dark brown. However, you have to ‘forget’ about the colour. By accident, I caught a section of the fence in the frame. It divided the corners, which draws your view towards the small animal without help of this colour. Because the animal is positioned off centre, it gives the images movement, unlike a central static nature. The animal is also small in size, so it has ‘point like’  qualities.

 

Third Photograph:

The third image is of a large tall statue in Trafalgar square London. The item is large, yet positioned centrally in the frame. It was taken from a distance, making the subject appear smaller. However, even thought the subject is placed centrally, there is no static nature. Because the statue is tall, your view is drawn straight up towards the top where the statue is placed. There is also movement from the people on the ground. Having a lot of foreground in the image also helps to allow the eye to follow the ‘movement’ towards the top of the statue.

 

Fourth Photograph:

The fourth image shows a dog on the beach. The dog is positioned towards the bottom left hand corner of the frame. Even thought the dog is a large subject, the position of the dog shows movement and is not static.

 

After looking through previous images I had taken to show a ‘point’, I realised that I naturally position the subject centrally. I could only find a handful of images which show the object either off centre or in a corner or side of the frame. Therefore, this small exercise was quite difficult as I had to make the most of what I had. I’ve realised that I need to start photographing without placing the subject centrally. I am hoping that the ‘positioning a point’ exercise may help me more.

In the next exercises, you will need to set up or find scenes which show one point. They could be naturally occurring situations eg.boats on water, or indoor settings, in which you lay an object on a background. Make them as interesting and as attractive as possible. Dont just put an object on a piece of plain paper.

My Expectations for This Set Of Projects

After reading through the introduction page and highlighting the most important sections to remember, I realise that this next set of projects are designed to make you really understand how to take a ‘correct’ photograph. You will learn how to organize your image and identify key elements such as horizon lines, subject placement and composition rather than just looking at a subject or location in the frame and then photographing it because it ‘looks good’. It will also teach you how to ‘photograph colour blind’. You should’nt use colour to operate as the main element, as it says in the introduction, colour can be overpowering.

From these projects, I hope to learn how to compose my images more professionally. The first set of projects taught me how to frame and compose images whilst learning what settings I had to use. However. I hope to learn how to take more well balanced, professional photographs. I will take the advice from the introduction and I will process some of my images in Black and White or gray scale as I would like to learn how completely wiping out the colour from a image, can allow you to focus on the more important elements in the final image.

Note:

I will be keeping a notebook / learning log to jot down my ideas, thoughts, sketches or any inspiration I have such as magazine cuttings etc. However, I will also blog my work on here. I will include my images on this blog aswell as smaller versions in my learning book for my tutor. I will make sure my blog and notebook match.

I will now proceed with the Part Two, Elements of Design.

Part two, Elements of Design Introduction

In this part, more than elsewhere, you will need to suspend your natural inclination to see a photograph as a whole. The objective is to be able to identify the graphic elements in any photograph, to asses how important a role they play, and to be able to use them for structure and movement in a composition.

It’s easy to get carried away with the kind of abstraction you will be doing here, it’s important to keep a sense of proportion about it. Several of the projects involve you sketching out graphic elements like lines and shapes.

Colour, in this context, can be something of a distraction. Colour is a Central element in the design of a picture. It operates in such a different way from points, lines and shapes sometimes overpowering. If the colour is strong, it can overwhelm the other components, you should be aware when doing the exercises. Some graphic elements can be created purely by colour, you may find it easier to follow this part of the course, if you avoid scenes and situations which appeal to you because of their colour. You may want to work in Black and White or Grayscale.Doing so has the advantage of focusing the attention on those parts of the picture that concern us here: The graphic elements.

The elements of design we will cover are the points, lines and shapes that together mark our and enclose the two dimenstional image. It is not just a simple matter of identifying them in a picture and noting their positions. For this reason, this will deal with points rather than tones (Light-Dark).

 

Conclusion to my first set of projects and first assignment

After having less than 1 month to complete several projects, exercise’s and 1 assignment, I had to work extremely hard and was pushed straight into the deep end.

I had to read my camera booklet to learn how to manually control my digital camera. The first set of projects ‘getting to know your camera’ tested my old knowledge from what I had learnt at A-Level and knowledge which I had taught myself along the years. However, once beginning the set of projects, I realised they were harder than I had thought, especially the part where you had to measure focal lengths and get the correct camera settings etc. It did take me a while and a few annoyed day trips where I was trying to get it right, and I would not let it beat me. Once I had re-read the projects and sat and thought about it, it wasn’t so daunting.

Continuing the ‘frame’ exercises really helped me to come to terms with how my camera really worked and how to take a ‘correct’ photograph. I enjoyed going out to various locations and admiring the settings in a more photographic mind set.

I recently found some old ‘Practical Photography’ magazines in a charity book store which I purchased, I then subscribed to the magazine via its website. They are extremely helpful magazines, which guide you step by step into what camera settings you need for what type of photograph you are trying to take. I definitely recommend looking at one. The great thing is, is that the first set of projects such as focal lengths, aperture, speed etc were all in these magazines. And you can learn from them. They are great.

With the help of these magazines, I was able to become a bit more confident with the rest of the projects and the final assignment. I do agree that I could have done better with some of the photographs which I had taken, however, seeing as this was the beginning for me and I didn’t have much time to complete it, I think I did quite well.

I will know wait for my tutor’s feedback and post the comments on my blog.