Exercise- rhythm and pattern

Produce at least two photographs, one should convey rhythm and the other pattern.

Rhythm 

from reading the introduction to rhythm and pattern where it mentioned about music I had an idea and this idea was to set up a load of fairy lights, set the camera to a slow shutter speed and put on some music, once the shutter had been pressed then move the lens in and out which should create little lines of pretty dots in theory. I wasn’t sure if this was going to work but I thought id have a crack at it and see what would happen. I took three images of the lights in total, but one of them just does not work so i shall leave that one out. below are the results. 

Photograph 1

Taken at F/5.6,ISO 800, 55 mm,0.6

with this image the rhythm works across and downwards and across, I decided to start off close with the framing for this image to see how the framing would affect the rhythm. 

Photograph 2 

 Taken at F/7.1,ISO 200, 1.3,50 mm

For this image I decided that I was going to get as far back as I could and then go in with the focal length so the framing wasn’t as tight as the first photograph. I also set about trying to move the lens a lot more as I didn’t get the effect I was after in the first image, so put on a faster paced piece of music. I like the abstract feel that has been created by doing this.The rhythm is created by dots leading the eye downwards almost in the motion of a figure of 3.

I decided that i would look for some more rhythm subjects as I have never intentionally used it before so I thought familiarising myself would help me recognise it more in the future.

Photograph 3

Taken at ISO 800, F/9, 1/800, 18 mm 

I mistakenly took this image at ISO 800 I thought I had set it to ISO 400 and didn’t realise until I got home and looked back on the image. Also looking at this image I am not too sure if this would class as a rhythmic photo, I’m not sure if its got enough columns working across, but I cant see why this wouldn’t be a rhythmic image, as the columns work across which lead the eye in a direction to an optical beat. 

Pattern

I took 3 images for pattern but they are of the same subject. I did this because I framed them differently, one with a much tighter framing and the other not so tight, to see how framing works with pattern. I am much more familiar with photographing pattern as its something I’ve liked to dabble with previously before starting this course.

Photograph 1  

Taken at F/5.6, 1/640,ISO 200, 34 mm

This is of the outside of the bullring in Birmingham. I took this image stood relatively close to building so I could get a tightly framed image.I think the image works well the way it is framed but I decided to take another image of the same subject but framed differently.

Photograph 2

Taken at F/5.6,1/640,ISO 200, 39 mm

For this image I stood considerably further away to what I did in the first image. As you can see in this image there is a lot more of the pattern seen in the frame which gives you more of a feeling to how much of the pattern there is. 

Photograph 3

Taken at f/5.6, 1/400, ISO 200, 55 mm

Same again with this one I went and stood even further away from the building and zoomed in to get the detail of the pattern. This shows the pattern on a bigger scale and gives you an even bigger impression to how far the pattern goes on. 

I have realised that framing and distance is important when photographing pattern as distance from the subject can give a much bigger picture to how far the pattern goes on, which helps the brain continue beyond the photograph.

PROJECT- rhythm and pattern

  repetition has a peculiar but generally very strong appeal, particularly when it is unfamiliar to the viewer. There is some connection here with one of the basic pleasures in music; there is a visual beat to pictures containing a repetitive theme, just as there is in a musical beat. Visually, repetition comes across in two ways; as rhythm and as pattern. The difference between them is that rhythm is to do with movement across a picture while pattern is essentially static and has to do with area. 

Exercise- Real and implied triangles

Graphically triangles occur more frequently than any other shape, and they are very usable in design. In construction they are the simplest shape of all, and this has much to do with their abundance. In the same way that lines have certain associations so do specific shapes or rather, they can have these associations in some kinds of pictures- and triangles, because they always have at least two diagonals, tend to create a sensation of activity and dynamism.

This exercise has been split in to two sections real and implied triangles. I was asked to produce two sets of photographs consisting of triangular compositions in photographs, one using REAL triangles and the other making IMPLIED triangles.

REAL 

• find a subject which itself is triangular
• make a triangle by perspective, converging towards the top of the frame
• make an inverted triangle, also by perspective converging towards the bottom of the frame. 

Equipment used  

• canon 1000 D
• 18-55 mm lens

photograph 1  (a triangular subject)

 

Taken at F/5.6, ISO 200, 1/320, 39 mm

I took another photo of the same subject but I walked further back and got the surroundings in the photo, at the time this seemed a good idea but now looking back I’m not really sure why I did it. They both clearly show the real triangle/triangles.

Photograph 1 ( take 2)

Taken at F/5.6, ISO 200, 1/320, 39 mm

I took another photo of the same subject but I walked further back and got the surroundings in the photo, at the time this seemed a good idea but now looking back I’m not really sure why I did it. They both clearly show the real triangle/triangles.

Photograph 1 ( take 2)

Taken at F/5.6, ISO 200, 1/320, 34 mm 

Photograph 2 ( triangle by perspective, converging towards the top)    

 

 

Taken at  F/5.6, 1/320, 34 mm, ISO 200

The triangle is created by a lower perspective, I achieved this by crouching down to take the photo. The sides of the path help create the triangle .

Photograph 3 ( inverted triangle, by perspective)

Taken at ISO 200, F/8, 1/40, 84 mm

I have to be honest finding a triangle where the point converges towards the bottom was hard, It took me ages and this is most likely not the best example ever produced but it does show what was asked so I think this is the best its going to get unless I find another one then I will add it to here.

There are 4 triangles which I can see within each other. These were created by a higher perspective looking down from the side otherwise took from a different angle you wouldn’t see a triangle.

Implied 

• Make a still life arrangement of five or 6 objects to produce a triangle with the apex at the top 
• make a still life arrangement but so that the triangle is inverted with the apex at the bottom.

arrange three people in a group picture in such a way that either their faces or the lines of their bodies make a triangle.

Photograph 1 ( triangle with apex at the top)

Taken at ISO 200, f/9, 0.60, 51 mm 

The triangles that we can see are created by the points from the string lights, the triangle is not a real triangle and is created by our brains by connecting the points together to form an implied triangle.

Photograph 2 ( triangle with apex at the bottom) 

Taken at ISO 200, F/9,1/40,18 mm 

Again the same thing is happening as the above image the points have created an implied triangle, I have marked out the triangles that have been created from the different points on the bowls which have helped imply several different triangles.

Photograph 3 ( 3 people implying a triangle)

I have still got to take this image so as soon as I have done it I will upload to the blog as I am going to move on to the next exercise instead of wasting time waiting for the opportunity to do the photo.

How did the exercise go?

Overall I found this exercise useful as it has helped me to learn the difference between a real triangle and an implied triangle. I did have a struggle with the real triangle converging towards the bottom of the frame but I over come my difficulty in the task and managed to get a photo in the end. I have also learnt along the way that triangles occur more frequently than any other shape and are highly usable in photography. Perspective is also a very important factor to remember when using triangles in photography as this is used to help create a lot of the triangles that we would use. Inverted triangles are the ones where the apex fall towards the lens rather than away from it, which is a good way to create tension. I have enjoyed learning how to incorporate triangles into my composition and have already noticed that I do use triangles more than I did before. 

 

curves and diagonals revisted

So yesterday I went on a shopping trip to Birmingham, not a far trip just a 40 minute train ride away. I took my camera along with me just in case I saw something to photograph. I found curves and diagonals. So I decided to add them to the blog to show that I have taken the information in about curves and diagonals and that i do try to use in them in my photography when composing images.

All images taken with a Canon 1000 D, 18-55 mm lens and shot in RAW

Photograph 1

Taken at F/5.6, ISO 200, 1/400, 37mm

I love the gradual curve of the building almost has a yin and yang effect. I also like the contrast between the sky and the circle plates on the building and how the the lighter circles pop against the darker inner of the building.

Photograph 2

Taken at F/5.6, ISO 200,1/250, 35mm

This one is the same building as before, the iconic bull ring but taken from and different view. you still have the curve running down the  building but there is also another curve that leads the eye along the bottom around and down.

Photograph 3

Taken at F/5.6, ISO 200, 1/13, 22mm

Diagonal lines made from the escalators. This was the best viewpoint as it got all the escalators in and created an effective look. I think it works well in black and white too as everything pops out from the contrast of the light and dark. It also has a slight curve at the top of the image too.

Photograph 4

Taken at F/5.6, ISO 200, 1/13,18 mm

same subject as before but taken from a different perspective of looking upwards.Again another curve is visible and the diagonal lines are strong leading the eye upwards.

Project shapes

A shape is both an outline and an enclosure, although the extent to which it appears as one or the other depends very much on the subject and the lighting. Shape, ultimately defines an object, but it can be also implied in much the same way as a line can.

shapes can be regular and irregular. This means that some are easily identifiable with a simple geometric outline, like a rectangle or a triangle, while others are uneven and appear to fall into no category. In a photograph, the more regular a shape appears, the stronger the part plays in the composition. 

Exercise- implied lines (part 3)

The next part for this exercise was to plan and take two photographs that use the following kinds of implied lines to lead the eye

• an eye line
• the extension of a line or lines that point 

This part took me a little longer than the rest because I wanted to put time and thought into how I was going to go about doing this, what subject / subjects I was going to use and how I was going to go about implying lines.In my field log you will find on pages 98-99 that I drew mini sketches of how I wanted to compose the images. I decided that I was going to use the same subject for the photographs but demonstrate the lines in different ways and frames. 

Equipment used

• Canon 1000 D
• 18-55 mm lens
• figurines
• a lamp for lighting

Photograph 1

Taken at F/5.6, ISO 200, 18 mm, 1/6

As you can see, my chosen subject is of a cardboard box figure, I wanted to use a figure because then I was in control of composition obviously but more for the reasoning that I was able to put the figure where I wanted to create implied lines to lead the eye, where as if I had gone out and about to look for implied lines I would still of been able to some what control the lines but not as much to the extent that I did with using the figure, as the composition and set up is solely down to me. 

This image is a fairly simple composition as i wanted to ease myself in to implying lines as its something I am cautious about as I’ve never intentionally gone and done this before. Below is the same image but the implied lines have been shown with arrows.

As you can see the implied lines that have been used here are the extension of a line and lines that point.

Photograph 2

Taken at F/5.6, ISO 200, 1/3, 20 mm

After getting to grips with the first image implied lines didn’t seem so scary as they did when I first started out with my initial ideas, so I decided that I was going to try and be a little more adventurous with adding another figure and object and including an eye line, extension of a line and lines that point. Below is the same image with the arrows demonstrating the implied lines.

As you can see I managed to get all three lines into the composition. I had a thought whilst taking this photograph and that was if the implied lines would change if the image frame was changed to horizontally, so I decided to take the same image but horizontally instead and here are the results.

Horizontal framing

From this doing this I can see that there was a difference in at the way that my eye was lead around the photograph compared to the vertical view. In the vertical framing my eye was lead around the image in a circular motion where as in the horizontal framing my eye was lead around in a figure of 2 motion. Also in the horizontal frame there was one less implied line that I could see making it a total of 5 lines compared to the vertical frame where there was 6. 

I also took another extra  image which was just the one figurine to make sure that I had understood the task.

Taken at  F/5.6, ISO 200, 24 mm, 1//45

How did it go?

well all in all hand on heart I actually ended up enjoying the exercise implied lines, which I really did not think would happen. At the beginning of this exercise in part one I was dreading  doing the analysis on the 2 images supplied and then having to analyse my own images in the same way bought dread upon my mind as I was scared of getting it wrong, but I soon come to realise that you cannot be wrong with implied lines. What lines I see may not appear in the same way to someone else who might see lines that are not visible to me. Implied lines are there to help guide the eye and to give the viewer a nudge in the right direction to how you would want the photograph to be viewed, but as it stated in the introduction of the project that we shouldn’t get carried away with the idea that you can control the order in which someone views a photograph, but can give clues.  

Exercise – implied lines (part two)

The next part of this exercise was to find any 3 photographs of my own and then to perform the same analysis that was done on the photographs in part one.

Photograph 1

I took this image of my nephew as the train was coming in to drop and collect its passengers. 

• Line 1 (orange) pulls the eye along the train towards the background of the image.
• Line 2 (yellow) Is made from Elliott’s eyes to the train and upwards creating a more personal  feel to the image as you can see what he is looking at involving the viewer.
• Line 3 (blue) Just behind Elliott is an implied slight curve which draws the eye along the slight curve of the background.

Photograph 2 

The illusion of lines are created by the dots from the cheese grater.

• Line 1 (red) implies there is a line running from left to right horizontally drawing the eye from right to left or vice versa.
• Line 2 (pink) Again this works in the same way as line 1 does only just the line isn’t as long.
• Line 3 (blue) runs diagonally drawing the eye down and back up again.

Photograph 3

This photograph is a bit different to the first 2 images as the implied lines are still there but for this photograph because there are a series of ducks all over the place they create implies lines in forms of triangles which lead the eye all over the place, giving the viewer a chance to explore the image. 

I found some useful information whilst writing up this exercise which consisted of that implied lines can take many forms. Mostly they are imaginary, but create a way for the viewer to be lead into or around the picture by the implication of a line. You can be creative by using discontinuous objects that together create a line. For example, footsteps or stones on a beach. Alternatively you can create an implied line by starting it off and letting the viewer keep on following the line after is has finished. Whatever you do, be aware that implied features in your picture can still convey a strong compositional impact. And, even though they do not exist, implied lines can form major compositional elements in the picture – they create a powerful impact on the viewer. Be careful that features of your picture do not create an implied line without you intending them to do so. Remember, you are in control of the composition and so you should be aware of, and in control of, all compositional elements.

This information was found at http://www.photokonnexion.com 

 

Exercise – Implied lines (part one)

This exercise has 3 different sections to it, so I am going to post it in the 3 different sections so its easier to follow. For the first part of this exercise I was asked to look at 2 images and find the implied lines in each, after that I asked to draw an arrow to indicate where the lines where.

Photograph 1 – By Michael Freeman

Below I have drawn the lines I believe to be implied lines

The main line that grabbed my attention was the “s” shaped line as this line draws the eye up along the man’s body, this has been created by starting with the line in the dirt which has lined up with the position the matador has his cloak, which then works along his arm around his back  and back down the cloak.

Below is the same image showing the implied lines by arrows

In this image the lines appear to imply a triangle, even though these images are similar by the choices of subject used ( Animal and human) there is a difference and that is in this image the tension is created by eye contact, where as in the first image no eye contact between the man and bull making the image less personal but giving the time to focus on the speed and motion of the image.

Project- using lines in composition

Now that i have been through the basic catalogue of lines I can consider ways of using them to organise and strengthen a composition. Two important things to bear in mind are that the eye follows a line, and that it also tires to construct a line from appropriate suggestions as a clear line provides a natural path for the eye, which moves along it. The more active the line, the stronger the encouragement for the eye to follow it, hence diagonals and curves work better in this way than verticals and horizontals. 

Our tendency to imagine lines is a little more complicated. it is one instance of the way the eye and brain work together to resolve incomplete things- closing gaps, as it were. we need only a few suggestions in a picture – visual clues to imagine a line.

the most common of clues are;

• A row of points (that is objects)
• the extension of a line, or lines, that seem to point in a certain direction. The eye moves ahead.
• the extension of visible movement, such as a car being driven or a person walking. Again the eye moves ahead

the direction in which someone in the picture is looking.The viewers eyes tend to go to the same place, known as an eye-line.

These imagined lines are known as implied lines and can be used with some subtlety to direct the viewers attention .one of the uses of design in photography is to organise a picture in such a way that another person will be encouraged to look at it in the way you want. what makes implied lines especially valuable is that they are partly hidden , and so they can work in the manner of small nudges to the attention. 

Exercise curves

Curves like diagonals, have a great sense of movement and direction, and in some way can be considered a kind of diagonal line. Because they pull the eye in, they are useful in planned composition.

Aim of the task

The aim of this task was just like the previous exercises about lines but with curves, I was asked to take 4 photographs using curves to emphasise movement and direction.

Equipment used

• Canon 1000 D
• 18-55 mm lens
• polarising and UV filter 

At the beginning of this task I took the time to look at some example images and to get some more information on curved lines being used in photography as I have found this has helped me along the way in previous exercises in the project, This information and example images can be found in my learning log. In total for this exercise I took 8 images as I wanted  to take different scenes and then pick the best 4 that was showing not only the curve but to show movement and direction as well like it stated in the brief. I will now show which images that I chose which I believe to show the curve the best.

Photograph 1

Taken at F/5.6, ISO 100, 18 mm, 1.60

I thought long and hard about putting this one in to my top 4 as I know it really is not the best picture by composition or quality and to be honest I was not sure if I had used the right ISO as I got a little confused because it was dark but the lights on the ride where so bright so that threw me off a little. I thought about using light and a slow shutter speed because the the ride created a curve by the movements in which it was travelling in by slowing down the shutter speed this captured the curve which also created movement and direction which is why I decided to use this image even though it might be bad choice to I still think it does show what the brief stated.

Below is the same image but I’ve have pointed out the curves with pink arrows.

Photograph 2

Taken at F/5.6, ISO 200, 1/30,48 mm

This photograph came to mind pretty much straight away when I first read the brief as its a path that I walk on almost everyday and is one of my favourites as round that bend it leads up on top of the farmers fields which over look the beautiful countryside. This image shows a series of curves in total there are 6 of what I can see. There are 3 curves in the path itself  , then there are 2 more curves either side of the path where the trees and shrubs follow round with the path then there is another slight curve on the right hand side where the tree bends. I think this image shows movement and direction well with the curves that are in this photo because of the way the curve is and the amount of bend in it. It also leaves you wondering where the path leads to and has a sense of mystery.

Photograph 3

Taken at F/5.6, 1/60, ISO 200, 34 mm

I took a few various takes on this image with different compositions to see which accentuated the curve best and found that this photo was the best out of the lot. I kept this one colour because I think it works better this way as in black and white the curve seemed to get a little lost and over taken by the surroundings which is not what I wanted and was quite distracting which is not what I was after. This photo has a number of curves like the previous image below is the demonstration of the curved lines.  

Photograph 4

Taken at F/5.6, ISO 200, 1/200, 28 mm

This photograph is different to the other images as the curves in this image are made up by mother nature and appear naturally not like the other images that are man made. I took this because the curves are not in your face but they are there and do show movement and direction in the way the tree is growing and send its branches towards the light for its much needed nutrients from the sun. Below i have demonstrated the curves but I have not shown every single one as it would take a very long time to do.

How did it go?

I found this exercise a great amount of help with understanding curves and how to use them as they are good at showing movement and direction, also that using curves can create the element of mystery and that they are good for drawing the eye in and are also good for making the photograph a bit more interesting than a straight line because a straight line can be static and still. I will defiantly be looking to use more curves in my photography now as before this exercise I was a little uneasy about using them but now i have new found love for curves.