Project 2 Visual skills, Exercise 1.2 Point

Exercises in simplifying composition to the fundamental elements:

Point, Line and Frame.

• The Point is the most fundamental element. It has to be small within the frame and its position is generally more important than its form.
• Take two or three photographs in which a single point is placed in different parts of the frame. How can you evaluate the pictures? How do you know whether you’ve got it right or not? Is there a right places and wrong place for the point? For the sake of argument, lets say that the right place shouldn’t be too obvious and that the point should be clear and easy to see. As there’s now a ‘logic’ to it, you can evaluate your composition according to the logic of the point. As you look at the pictures you might find that you’re also evaluating the position of the point by its relationship to the frame.

Rabbit Side Left

Rabbit Middle

Rabbit Side Right

 

Of the three photographs above I think ‘Rabbit side right’ works best for me. It sits easier on my eye for some reason, it doesn’t look awkward yet despite its size it still fundamental to the picture. I know it’s what I’m meant to focus on. Why? I’m not quite sure. Is it because it’s the closest item to me as well, possibly. Whilst these are crude shots I think they illustrate that whilst there is no right or wrong point for anything – they all do the job of showing me whats in the frame, however there is a positioning that makes the photo turn poetic and gives it wings.

 

• Take a number of images in which a point is placed in relationship to the frame.
• Can you find any place where the point is not in relationship to the frame? If it’s in relationship tot he frame you can place a point in any part of the picture and the picture is balanced.
• You could think about the two parts of this exercise in a different way, as ‘test’ pictures’ versus’ ‘real pictures’. The only purpose for the test pictures is the exercise; you can analyse them according to the criteria and get the expected answer. But ‘real’ pictures are not so easy to analyse. What are the criteria for ‘relationship’?
• As you review your photographs observe the way your eye scans the surface of the image. Note how
  • A point attracts attention out of the proportion of its size
  • the eye looks for connections between two points
  • placing a point close to the edge seems to animate both the point and the frame.
• Print our two or three of your point photographs and trace the route your eye takes over the surface with a pencil. Then try the same with a selection of photographs from newspapers or magazines. You should notice that each photograph seems to have its own tempo. Add the traced photographs to your learning log together with brief observations.

 

Bench 4

Bench 3

Bench 2

Bench 1

 

I took these four images of a bench amongst the Autumn 2017 leaves to show the point (bench) and how it is positioned in relationship to the frame as requested in the above exercise. My personal favourite is Bench 1. Up close, centre in it’s setting and telling the viewer exactly what their eye should be drawn to (the bench). With the other shots, I don’t believe it to be so obvious, particularly with Bench 4 – where it gets lost to the tree in its immediate background.

In Bench 3 it is centre but for me looses it’s effectiveness and importance in the frame being dwarfed by the trees , although some may argue it is framed by the trees and in Bench 2 it looks like an after thought viewing it from behind.

Real pictures, as noted above, especially with ‘moving’ objects in them are much harder to pinpoint and to stage with this formula. For me, to draw the viewers eye to your point it must be obvious, whether that be centre stage or immediate stage left or right. Unless it’s in the background and the  focal plane is obscured to draw the eye in.

I find it complicated to describe the formula for what makes a photograph work. But your eye knows it when it works. Usually, for me, it’s simplicity in an image. Uncluttered and concise maybe thats why I prefer picture Bench 1, because my eye instantly lands on its subject & I dont have to work for the point.

I asked a third party for their opinion and they said they preferred Bench 3 as it was centre and framed by the trees. As with all photography – it comes down to being subjective and what you like, I guess.