Contents 1
Golden Mean Golden Section Aspect digital transformations From Real to Surreal Index of Quotations
exercises
1. Take another look at Bresson's photograph Roman Amphitheatre, Valencia, 1933. He chose this photograph from several others he took from the same vantage point. It is an engaging and puzzling photo. Though the man and boy are near each other, they appear to be a different distances because of scale. Without some information on what was photographed, it remains a puzzle. Actually, you are looking at the entrance of a bull-fighting arena. In the middle of the photo, is a large sliding door,...
Aspect Ratio Edward Weston Lets Play Hookey
listed authorship of a photograph, it is from istock. we appreciate the vast diversity of their imaging resources. we are also grateful to Dover Publications for making available copyright-free highresolution historical photographs and paintings. A special thanks goes out to Vicki H. wilson, not only for the photographs she contributed but also for many different ways she so graciously assisted us, including some writing. Thanks also to our editor, david Albon in the London office and in the...
M
Roman Amphitheatre, Valencia, 1933 Magnum Photo Bresson's photograph Roman Amphitheatre, Valencia, 1933 can be seen as an example of similarity, proximity, continuation, and closure. The man's white spectacle and large, white half-circle are similar in color and shape and in close proximity. one is invited to continue the circular movement on the large number 7 target to form a closure on the half-circle. Note how the lower, dark portion of the circle easily connects with the edge of the man's...
In any architecture there is equity between the pragmatic function and the
Low Angle In this photograph of a one-hump dromedary camel, the photographer set his camera very low, nearly touching the sand mound. We thus have an up-close and intimate look at the camel as he lies on the sand. His expressive face is located approximately at the imaginary rule of thirds' lower-right intersection, providing a strong composition. The camel's face becomes the center of interest and the focal point of the photograph. The color of the camel and sand are similar and contrast well...
accomplished Robert Frank
This Work Progress Administration a government agency as part of America's New Deal in the 1930s photograph shows three folks all dressed up and going into town for what appears to be an important event. Although they ride on an old farm work wagon pulled by a mule, suggesting their meager status, they dress proudly and sit up straight as they journey. Compositional elements of interest are a somewhat low vantage point the framing, which allows room for the wagon to move within the frame the...
Anything that excites me for any reason I will photograph not searching for
Irish Rugby Advertisement Richard D. Zakia Irish Rugby Advertisement Richard D. Zakia The camera captures a split second of the movement by the rugby player and invites the viewer to complete the action. The stance of the body is one that is not natural in a static position and therefore suggests movement for completion. There is just a hint of motion in the ball and hands, which evidently is moving faster than the player's body. Bernie Boston's 1933-2008 photograph Flower Power serves as a...
Edward Weston Lets Play Hookey
we are grateful for the many friends and colleagues who have allowed us the generous use of their copyrighted photographs. without them, we would have been limited in the number of diverse photographs used in our book. Their names accompany their photographs. where there is no Let's Play Hookey, 19H by Edward Weston Every artist is at first an amateur. Peter Henry Emerson
Similarity is a prerequisite for noticing differences Rudolf Arnheim
Proximity The closer two or more things are, the greater the chance that they will be seen as a unit, group, or pattern. Minor White holds his yellow Zone System book in both hands and his head is centered in front of a large mock-up of a Weston Meter dial that he used to teach the Zone System. The nearness of Minor's head to the large dial is such that head and dial are seen as a unit and belonging together. Spindel was Minor's student at the Rochester Institute of Technology RIT . Minor sent...
Never boss people around Its more important to click with people than to
click the shutter. Alfred Eisenstaedt Gathering Water Lilies, 1886 Peter Henry Emerson Gathering Water Lilies, 1886 Peter Henry Emerson Position Within the Frame Peter Henry Emerson's photograph is an early classic and is in the collection of many museums around the world. It is his signature piece. Emerson was a British physician who was born in Cuba he took up photography when he was about 30 years old. He was one of the early pioneers in practicing photography as an art form and was...
Emphasizing The Visual
You will be pleased to find in this book an emphasis on the visual, of first showing what we are talking about, and then a few words of discussion. Every page in the book has a picture accompanied by a short explanation. In effect, the book is a picture book of compositional features. One can learn from the book without being well versed in English. As you go through the book, you will recognize that we have built in some meaningful redundancy as a way of clarifying and reinforcing what we are...
stole the whole show Lewis W Hines
In both photographs, the lady in red is in sharp focus, and in the top photo the background is also in sharp focus. However, in the lower photograph the background is not in focus and appears blurred. The upper photograph is said to have a greater depth of field. Factors that increase depth of field are small apertures large f-stop numbers , short focal length lenses, and greater distances between the subject and camera. The top photo was taken at f 32 and the bottom one atf 5.6.
EXERCISES Looking Gjp
1. The original painting by Adrian Coote 1683-1707 of a large white bird in the foreground is cluttered with birds in the background. The large white bird as a focal point center of interest is diminished. A later rendition of the same painting simplifies things, making the white bird more prominent. 2. This photo is a bit puzzling as you attempt to figure out what it is. The focal point is a shadow of a child over markings on a large white paper. The shadows of the arms extend beyond the...
Movement
U-NU-LE The Wind . Stan Crocker U-NU-LE The Wind . Stan Crocker Stop Motion Even though the camera's shutter speed was fast enough to stop the movement of the St. Johns basketball player, the fact that he is in midair conveys movement. The body angle and goal are strong clues as to the direction of that movement. The blur of the Duke defender's hand not only confirms action, but also raises the question Was the ball swatted away or was it slam-dunked Either way, it was great college basketball...
Info Kxr
centering a photograph can be quite acceptable, depending upon the subject matter. if the penguins were a bit off to the right or to the left, the photo would appear unbalanced. Off Center the blue-feathered body of the peacock is not centered and is off to one side, close to the left vertical line of the rule of thirds. this is more interesting than having the bird placed dead center. Fan-like feathers of the bird completely fill the frame, providing an uninterrupted colorful background. the...
I didnt want to tell the tree or weed what it was I wanted it to tell me
Exercises are arranged in two sections. The first section involves looking at relevant photographs not just looking but looking and studying, looking and seeing. The more you look, the more you will see, and the more you will learn and develop a discriminating eye. The second section involves creating photographs that exhibit some of the geometrics of good composition. 1. An old Chinese proverb says By reviewing the old we learn the new. We begin by looking at an Albumen photograph taken in...
EXERCISES Looking
Paul Strand's 1916 photograph Abstractions, Porch Shadows, Twin Lakes, Connecticut is an interesting pattern of linear and curved shapes. It is also a study in the changing figure-ground and black-and-white rectangular shapes. His earlier photograph The White Fence, Port Kent, New York, 1915 is another example of figure-ground at work. One first sees the white contoured boards as figure, but can shift attention to the black spaces in between, which have similar contours to its surroundings. The...
Mozart said at one point that he wasnt so much interested in notes as the space
Carolina Cotton Mill, 1908 Lewis W. Hines Carolina Cotton Mill, 1908 Lewis W. Hines Depth of Field If you look carefully at most photographs, you will notice that not everything is in sharp focus. The amount that is sharp compared to that less sharp is referred to as depth of field the range of sharpness in a photograph. In this photograph by Lewis Hines, we can see that much of what is in around the young girl working at the loom is sharp, but much that is in front of and behind her is not...
Figure Ground
Figure-Ground Competition IrvingPobboravsky Figure-Ground Competition IrvingPobboravsky Selection The first step in seeing is selection separating a figure the subject from the background ground . Did you first see the white pedestals as figures If you did, then the dark area served as the ground. But you could also have seen the dark area, which has a similar shape, as the figure. When you do, then the white pedestals become the ground. Figure and ground can change as your attention changes...
Harlequin cubism and military camouflage had joined hands The point they had in
This is another camouflaged photograph in which something blends with the background. The title Ferns is a decoy calling attention to them and not to what is hiding. The short blue column to the upper left and the partial tree trunk to the right are easily seen. Not knowing what to look for increases the difficulty of seeing what is hiding. Had the caption of the photograph been Lizard in Hiding, you would have instantly searched for him. Finding him, however, will still take time, for he is...
I have found that the best way to give advice to your children is to find out
A Three-Point Basket DavidA. Page A Three-Point Basket DavidA. Page Photographing sporting events that have fast action requires a quick response, as one has only an instant to capture the peak action. This photograph not only captures the moment but also the composition of a skewed triangle, anchored by the basketball at the apex. Notice that just behind the ball is a camera on a tripod, which forms a triangle that complements the player's triangle. Figure and ground connect. Sometimes a...
Introduction
Digital photography has opened the door for everyone to become a photographer, and to discover, enjoy, and record the beauty that surrounds us. No longer is the pursuit of photography mired in the technical. Point and shoot is now the equivalent of Kodak's early box camera tagline Press the button and we do the rest. The ease, fun, and satisfaction of truly instant digital photography have made us all photographers Point, shoot, and share. Although digital technology has simplified the...
Balance
one of the underlying features of good composition is balance visual balance. Visual balance is different than physical balance, which is determined by mass the weight of an object. The things that give an object visual weight are its tone darkness, lightness , shape, form, size, visual importance, and placement within the frame of the photograph. It is also the reason that professional mat boards are wider on the bottom than on the top, as seen here. Usually the color of the board is neutral...