ASSIGNMENT -1
ELEMENTS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
SUBMITTED BY:
ARTI
B.ARCH
2ND SEM
In the photography world, there are several basic design elements, commonly known
as formal elements, that all photographers should be aware of when thinking about
their image compositions.
Formal elements are visual features, that when applied in composition, have the
potential to transform simple subjects into extraordinary shots.
They are:
- Line
- Shape & Form
- Pattern
- Tone
- Colour
- Texture
- Space
Paying attention to the formal elements in your compositions will help bring order to
your shot, and will also help you emphasize the most important aspects of the scene.
Many of the world’s most successful photographers base their images around the
formal elements, and having a good understanding of them is essential to developing
your photography skills.
This guide will help you familiarize yourself with the formal elements, and together with
stunning visual examples from the Pic fair community, will show you where and how
you can use them in your image compositions.
Line
You can use lines in your composition to guide the viewer through your shot, or to a
specific focal point, these are known as leading lines. Your lines don’t necessarily need
to be straight, horizontal or vertical, they can be curved, angular, or random too.
Angular lines that converge into a central point, commonly known as a vanishing point,
will add perspective to your image. Think of how a straight road or railway line naturally
disappears to a central point on the horizon, this is a classic example of a vanishing
point.
You can also add lines to your scene by creating completely new ones. Use a slow
shutter speed to create light streaks when photographing moving traffic at night, for
example.
Shape & Form
When referring to shape in photography, this usually means a 2D outline of a subject,
whereas form is referring to a shape that takes on more of a 3D appearance. And for
the purpose of this article, we've put these two together as one formal element.
Effectively representing shape and form in your compositions can turn objects,
landscapes and figures into defined, striking focal points. And using a range of lighting
techniques; most often backlighting, silhouettes, and also paying attention to shadows
will help elevate the shapes and forms in your shot.
Pattern
Symmetry and repetition make attractive photographic subjects, and when you start
looking, you’ll see a surprising amount of patterns around you in the natural and built
environment.
Often flat and even light works well for patterns as it emphasises its repetitive nature
equally throughout the shot, but for patterns that are more 3D in nature, you may want
to try a range of lighting setups.
Some of the most striking patterns can be those not usually visible to the human eye,
such as aerial shots or extreme macro photography, but you don’t need to invest in a
drone or a fancy macro lens to shoot patterns... Go out and explore, you’ll be amazed
at what you can find in your everyday surroundings!
Tone
Concentrating on tone in your composition is to use variables of contrast, and light and
dark areas to bring depth to your image. Tone is particularly important in black and
white photography and should be used to guide the viewer through your image where
there is no colour present to focus the attention of the viewer.
Practice makes perfect when it comes to tone, and for inspiration take a look at some of
the visuals below. These photographers have used a variety of contrast levels and
lighting techniques to bring out a tonal range in their image subjects. We recommend
trying lots of different lighting scenarios and contrast levels to see what works for you.
Colour
A prominent colour in your image, whether it’s a solid colour block or a set of similar
colours that form a palette across your image can make a bold statement, and convey
a mood for your image that will be emotive to the viewer. You could also single out one
particular colour and make a striking statement by making it ‘pop out’ in your shot.
Texture
Focusing on the texture in your composition can bring your image to life by giving the
viewer a tangible connection with it. Textures can be drawn out from all kinds of
surfaces and environments, and to do this you can use a wide range of lighting
scenarios and varying levels of depth-of-field.
Textures are ideal for experimentation, try lots of different setups and see what you
prefer. For example, you can use flat light with the camera facing head-on to bring out
the textures of a weathered wall, backlighting to draw out the ripples of sand dunes,
shallow depth-of-field for intricate materials, and long-exposures to create the silkysmooth effect with flowing water.
Space
Building space into your compositions creates a sense of scale and brings depth to
your shot. It can also provide breathing room for the main subject of your image, and
allow the viewer to hone in on the primary features of the scene.
Adding space to your compositions is particularly effective with outdoor photography,
where you may want to emphasis the scale of geographical features, such as
mountains and bodies of water. But space can be added effectively to almost every
kind of photographic subject, as you'll see with the examples below.
A combination of formal elements...
Once you’ve got a good handle on each of the formal elements and how they work, you
can begin to apply them to your shots across a multitude of image subjects. And with
practice, you'll be able to enhance your photographs even more by combining multiple
formal elements within a single composition.
Just take a look at how this can be done to dazzling effect with some of these examples
from the Picfair community...