Unit 31 LO1 Task 1:Photographic Elements

Photographic elements are what makes the photo successful. There are many types of elements used in photo's, such as composition, format, centre of interest, viewpoint, framing, the rule of thirds and colour/ monochrome.

Firstly there is composition which is the way a photographer arranges objects in the photograph, so to have a successful composition in a photo you need to position the main point of interest correctly so that the background isn't too obvious and that the point of interest is seen easily.

I think this is a perfect example of composition by Jim Kazanjian, before editing this photo he had to find a great Setting and vantage point for this photo as it has a perfect view of the landscape but the most obvious thing in the photo is the sphere as it's surreal and contrasts against the monochrome background which is mostly black because of the amount of forestation. It's also very dark at the bottom of the photo but as you go farther to the back it gets brighter.

Next is format and this is the orientation of the photo, either landscape or portrait, it's also the size and shape of the photograph. This can make the photo look unique and is also mostly edited into a way that the picture looks circular or triangular for example.

This is an example of Form by Tacita Dean and is a picture split into pieces by being edited into squares, this is pretty basic but helps split the actual photo so that the audience can focus on different parts. This photo specifically is in monochrome which helps juxtapose the dark areas against the lighter areas.

Next is point of interest which is the area of the photo that your attention is drawn to the most, this can be used to make a photo very interesting.

This is a picture by Vladimir Shipulin and is a perfect example of center of interests, this is because the point of interest is the slice of lime centered perfectly within the jar central in the picture. This affects the audience as it's what they see first and then they see the smaller details like the spider and the webs, the light behind the jars also is central to the lime slice as it is translucent enough to let some light through and it also lights up the small details like the web or spider which would be too small or dark to see if the light wasn't there.

Next is the viewpoint of photos and this is how and where the image is took, this can make the image look more unique than an image that is plainly took with a simple object for example.

This is a birds eye-view photo took by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, this photo is an obvious example of a viewpoint, and not one that is done very often. The planes that are shown in the image have been shown in a pattern like way, as they are all the same shape. The audience will not be attracted to one spot but the whole image, but they can look at each plane and find something different about each one.

Next is framing, this is when you use your surroundings to frame the centre of interest, this can make the photo look more interesting or get the audience's eye to see the main focus of the picture quickly or more easily.

This is a photo by Lee Friedlander which involves framing, he has used the car's window as the frame and the centre of interest is the herd of cows. I feel that Friedlander has used the monochrome filter as a way to make objects stand out more in the photo as the only things that appear dark are the Car's window as the frame, which Friedlander might want dark so that the audience can see more clearly that it is the frame, and then the cows, which are dark because they are what the photographer is wanting you to look at. It also helps that the sky and land are contrasting to the dark and so make the darker toned objects stand out more.

Then there's Rule of thirds, this is when a photo is put into a 3x3 grid and the point of interest is on one of the the crossing lines, as shown to the left.

This is a photo took by Henri Cartier-Bresson, it fits into the rule of thirds, as there are at least two points of interest that are around the crossing lines. This is the woman running across the the bridge and the boat. I feel it was intentional to get the woman into the shot as most of Henri's photos are of people daily lives, and so he was just showing the woman doing normal things. 

Next are colour and monochrome photos, monochrome can show emotion in the photo and also makes objects stand out with its contrast of black, grey and white. Colour is used for highlighting particular parts of a photo, photographers can also use complementary colours in a colour photograph to create contrast and vibrancy in the photos, which makes it look more appealing. Sepia is another choice which has the same effect as monochrome, as it makes textures in the photo stand out more easily to us. 

This is an example of a Monochrome image by Ansel Adams, I first of all noticed the river that takes up most of the photo, this is probably because it is one of the lightest tones in the image, as most of the rest are a darker tone, and because the lighter tone contrasts well against the darker tones it catches your attention easily. The darker tones give great depth to the image as the mountains are one of the darkest tones and because the snow is the lightest tone it shows the creases and rigid edges of the mountain. Another notable thing in the photo is the fact that there are a darker tone of trees on the left side and a lighter tone on the right, this creates a strong contrast in the photo.

Next is the use of light in photos, it helps with highlighting features in the photo, making it easier for the audience to see, if light is directed correctly is can create shadows and silhouettes, this can make the photo look more visually interesting. Whenever taking a picture of a dark object, it is always suitable to shoot against a light background, and visa versa.

This is an example of light and shadows used in photography by Adam Fuss, the first thing you certainly notice is the baby's silhouette, this is because it is a dark tone against a light tone, most likely a swimming pool as you can see the ripples of water too, I think this makes the picture look more interesting too because the ripples are thick enough to be seen , and because the baby has moved the ripples are different shapes and sizes to each other.

The next photographic element is the close-up, and this is zooming in on an object to get the close up, because it is a close up, it will always be at a high quality, so you can get the best detail on the object. Close ups are an interesting photography technique because it usually shows things that you wouldn't see normally, as it's abstract it can also leave the audience wondering what it is as you wouldn't be able to see what the whole object is.

This is an example of a close-up by Jan Groover, at first glance you can not tell what this is, because all you are seeing are silver objects, it could be a pile of building tools, kitchenware or random junk. You can't tell because it is a close-up and that is one of the main reasons why close-ups are used, to make the audience guess what the whole image is.

Then there is the photographic element, leading lines, this is when a photo has an object that has lines that lead from the bottom to the top of the photograph, it can also be used to lead the audience to the main point of interest in the photo. It can also be associated with symmetry too.

This is an example of leading lines in photography by Muybridge. This is counted as a photo with leading lines as the pictures within the photograph are showing movement by leading your eyes from left to right, this can also fit into the specifications for the rule of thirds as the photo is already in a grid-like format.  

Next is texture as one of the photographic elements, this is when a photo has objects which you can see the texture of in great detail, it can make a photo much more visually interesting and if two objects with different textures are in the photo, it can give the photo a contrast which makes it look more appealing to the audience.

This is a highly detailed example of a photo showing the element texture by Edward Weston. The image is in  monochrome and I think Weston did this to give the texture of the mushroom more depth as shown by the shadows between each gill that make it look very visually appealing as it looks like it is real in the photo. The mushroom also contrasts well against the black background, taking from the photographic element 'light'. 

Next, is the photographic element, repetition. This is when a photo is repeated to create a visual interest to the audience by creating a pattern, it can also create an illusion of movement.

This is an example of repetition by the photographer Jurgia Remelkyte. They have took photos of people and then stuck them on the cuboid shaped objects, they have then placed them and took the photo at an angle that some of the cubes look like a whole image.

Finally, another photographic element is Narrative, this is when a photo tells a narrative or gives you an idea of what was happening at the time of the photo being took, this gives the photo meaning.

This is an example of narrative took by Christian Stoll, I think this shows the photographic element by showing the narrative of what people do in there daily life, which this showing people getting to and from the train station. The photo contains the other photographic element leading lines, with the escalator starting from the bottom and it then leading to the top. The photo is also very symmetrical as the picture has been took directly in the middle.