1.2.8 Elements & Principles of Photography I

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Reminders

• Study guide & resources are on the homepage & resource page.
• Resets?
• Need help? Book a session with me or stay after class if there is time.
• Pro tip: Make sure you answer the questions during guided instruction & watch for the fire symbol.

Important Dates:

• Crit Assignment: 2/28
• Self-Portrait Assignment: 3/5
• Unit 1 Test: 3/10
• Unit 2 starts: 3/12

Recap 1.2.7.

EXPOSURE

• Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO play an important role in getting a perfectly exposed image.
• Photographs can be categorized as underexposed, overexposed, and perfectly exposed.
• The exposure compensation function in DSLR cameras can be used to correct exposure values.
• Multiple-exposure images are created by combining images captured with different exposures.

1.2.8.

Elements & Principles of Photography I

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1.2.8.

Learners can:

• Identify renowned photographers and their work
• Identify the elements and principles of photography used in photographs

Vocabulary: asymmetrical balance, composition, negative space, positive space, radial balance, silhouettes, symmetrical balance

A good photographer practices photography, studies, and perfects the skills. They know the rules of color, composition, and exposure very well, follow them reflexively, and get good shots. A genius also knows all those rules but excels at a different pace to others simply because they have a vision, the ability to see the photograph before taking one.

What features of this image caught your attention?

In the photograph, notice the single-standing tree against the calm lake in the background on a cool morning. The photographer uses all these features to compose the photograph. In today's lesson, you will learn about the elements and principles of photography and how renowned photographers used these to compose photographs and make them eye-catching. First, let's quickly introduce composition techniques which you'll learn more about in Unit 2.

Composition is how a photograph is arranged within the photograph's frame or viewfinder to convey the photographer's message or meaning. Composition techniques are proven composition tips that are pleasing to the human eye and make photographs more compelling and stronger. Combining composition techniques with the elements of photography is a great way to improve your photographic skills.

Simplicity

Symmetry

Framing

Leading Lines

Rule of Thirds

Filling the Frame

Elements of Photography

There are various elements that determine each of the things in a photograph that a photographer should focus on. The elements of photography are:

• line
• shape
• form
• texture
• pattern
• color
• space

Lines compose shapes, shapes make forms, forms compose texture, and texture composes patterns.

🔥Line

A line is a one-dimensional representation of an object. Lines have the power to lead or direct the viewer’s eyes toward the subject or any key focal points in the image. Lines can also evoke a particular emotion or mood in the audience. Lines can be thick or thin, long or short, horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. They can also be straight, curved, or jagged. Each of these styles is used to convey a specific concept or evoke a feeling from a viewer.

For example:

• thin lines portray weakness
• thick lines convey strength and boldness
• horizontal lines evoke a sense of rest or calm
• vertical lines represent power and growth
• diagonal lines convey movement or lead the viewer’s eyes to a particular point of interest
• curvy lines are used to portray fluidity or rhythm
• jagged lines indicate chaos, anxiety, or a state of being broken

🔥 Shapes

Lines converge with each other and form a closed loop to form shapes. A shape is a two-dimensional representation of an object. Shapes are used in photography to create a sense of space and substance. Whether they are organic or geometric, shapes can be used in various ways to compose a photograph. Geometric shapes such as circles, triangles, or squares have perfect, uniform measurements that are not often found in nature. Organic shapes like plants, leaves, rocks, and animals are associated with things from the natural world.

Silhouette

A silhouette is the shape of a person, animal, object, or scene seen as a solid color, usually black, against a lighter background. The edges of a silhouette match the outline of the subject with the interior space appearing as a dark, solid color with little to no detail. You can be very creative with your images when you use this element as it creates a sense of mystery in your photos, allowing viewers to create their own unique story from the photograph. When shooting against the light, outdoor sunsets, sunrises, and winter days are perfect for taking silhouette photography.

Form, Texture, & Pattern

A form is a three-dimensional representation of an object used in photography to create depth or illusion. A three-dimensional life-like form is composed when light and shape collide in an image. Texture refers to the details on the surface of the subject. Think about the texture you can feel, like the rough bark of a tree. As seen in a photograph, the tree bark is an example of visual texture. It usually creates a backdrop to make images more alive and exciting. Repetition of lines, shapes, forms, or textures in an image causes the formation of patterns. Patterns are an important element of photography.

Color

Color is a phenomenon of light, described in terms of hue, saturation, and lightness in an image. Different colors are used to convey different moods and emotions in pictures. Colors can be of WARM & COOL:

• Warm colors - yellow, red, and orange (used to add a lively, vibrant, or energetic mood to a scene)

• Cool colors - blue, grey, and green (used to evoke a feeling of calmness and sometimes even sadness)

🔥 Space

Visual Space is an important element that gives a three-dimensional representation to photographs. Space is used to give depth to an image. Space is referred to as the used and unused area in an image.

• Positive Space: the area occupied by objects and subjects in an image

• Negative Space: the area around, under, through, and between the objects and subjects in an image

MATCH the definitions with their respective elements of photography.

1. The area around, under, through, and between the objects and subjects in an image

2. The area occupied by the objects and the subject

A. positive space

B. negative space

Principles of Photography

There are seven principles of photography as following:

• unity
• balance
• emphasis
• proportion
• contrast
• rhythm
• movement

Principles of photography organize the above elements to create a visually appealing photograph. Think about the elements of photography as the ingredients used to create the principles of photography. To make a delicious cake, you must balance several ingredients to make it taste good. If you add too much salt or don't add enough flavoring, your cake may be overpowered by one taste or taste bland.

Unity or Harmony

Unity is achieved by arranging all the elements of a picture in harmony with each other. Observe the image; all the elements like the texture, form, and pattern of trees, mountains, clouds, and water, the curvy line of the river, and the negative space of the sky are arranged in harmony.

Balance

When different parts of a picture capture the viewer's attention equally, perfect balance is achieved. A photographer juxtaposes elements within an image so that the objects carry equal visual weight. There are three types of balance. Symmetrical balance - An image is said to have symmetrical balance when an image is split down the middle, and both sides are equally balanced or mirror each other. Example - reflection captured in a lake or a glass. Asymmetrical balance - An image is said to have an asymmetrical balance when the image has an unequal visual weight on either side. An image does not have to be symmetrical to be balanced, it just has to have balanced visual elements on both sides. Radial balance - An image is said to have radial balance when all the elements of an image radiate or circle out from a common central point or a focal point. Example - flowers.

Emphasis

Emphasis refers to developing specific points of interest to pull the viewer's attention to important parts of the image. Observe the image at the right, it is emphasized using a single dominant element. The woman in white dominates the whole photograph with its placement and contrast of value.

Proportion

Proportion refers to the relative size and scale of the various elements to create visual interest, one element against another. Observe the image of the desert at the right, the proportion can be seen telling the story of the man's adventure. This proportion conveys a sense of distance.

Contrast

Contrast refers to the use of opposites in an image. It can be achieved by using a combination of different shapes, textures, and colors. Observe the image at the right, the different shapes and colors of leaves and the flower are creating a high contrast value.

Rhythm or Repetition

When an element repeats over and over again in a composition of an image, it creates rhythm. In the image at right, there is a repetition of the shapes and patterns creating a sense of rhythm.

Movement

Movement adds excitement to a picture by showing some action and drawing the viewer's attention throughout the picture plane. Observe the image at the right, the spiral staircase creating a sense of movement and creating visual interest.

Elements and Principles of Photography

How are they used in photos from famous photographers???

• Man Jumping the Puddle by Henri Cartier-Bresson
• The Steerage by Alfred Stieglitz
• View from the Window at Le Gras by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce
• The Roaring Lion by Yousuf Karsh
• Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange

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View from the Window at Le Gras

The Steerage

Man Jumping the Puddle

- Joseph Nicéphore Niépce

- Alfred Stieglitz

- Henri Cartier-Bresson

Migrant Mother

The Roaring Lion

- Dorothea Lange

- Yousuf Karsh

Summary 1.2.8.

• identify the elements and principles of photography used in photographs.
• recognize some renowned photographers and their creations.

In today's lesson, you learned to:

In an upcoming lesson, you will learn about more elements and principles used in photography. This lesson and the next one will greatly help with the critique assignment that we'll complete together in lesson 1.3.1.

Questions?

Fill out the poll before you leave please & thank you!

The Steerage

"I stood spellbound for a while. I saw shapes related to one another—a picture of shapes, and underlying it, a new vision that held me." - Alfred Stieglitz Alfred Stieglitz's iconic photograph The Steerage, was captured in 1907. It shows shapes and patterns that give a multi-layered viewpoint that conveys abstraction.

The Roaring Lion

The Roaring Lion, captured in 1941, is one of the most widely reproduced political portraits of Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, by Yousuf Karsh. He used harsh light and shadows to emphasize the mood, emotions, and features of the subject's face, which makes it a stronger image. It encouraged other photographers to capture honest and even critical portraits of political leaders.

Migrant Mother

Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother is a soul-stirring picture taken in 1936 during the Great Depression. It features a mother and her young children who are caught in the pangs of poverty and hunger. The low contrast and the texture of hair and clothes in the photograph evoke the feeling of dullness and sadness. This image helped the people living in the migrant camp to receive food and other basic items from the government.

View from the Window at Le Gras

View from the Window at Le Gras is the world's first permanent photograph, captured by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce near Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, in the year 1826. He used shapes, light, and shadow as the elements of photography, creating a contrast value in the photograph.

Man Jumping the Puddle

In photography terms, a decisive moment is defined as the capturing of an event or a moment that is spontaneous or fleeting. Man Jumping the Puddle, seen on the right, was captured in 1930 by Henri Cartier-Bresson and is the perfect example of a decisive moment. The silhouette of the jumping man and his reflection in the water is creating a balance in the photograph. He also used lines and shapes in the background to make the photograph more engaging.