Photography Design Principles Compositional Structures

Design Elements The Design Elements form the basic vocabulary of Visual Design. They create interest through an image by creating focal points to draw your eye to. We think of the elements as the basic visual material with which to make art.

The Basic Building Blocks Making a design is like making a cake. The Elements are the ingredients. The directions for mixing them together are the Principles. Elements Line Shape/Form Space Value Texture Color The Basic Building Blocks

Balance Proportion Repetition/Rhythm Contrast Central Composition Movement Emphasis Framing Composition Rule of Third Golden Section Angles Focal Point Leading Lines Directional Lighting Illusion of Depth Perspective Design Principles

Contrast Contrast refers to the opposites and differences in the work. Difference between elements, such as color, texture, value and shape. Contrast in the imaging is the difference between the lights and the darks. If you have a picture that has little contrast, its usually very subdued. If you take an picture and turn down the contrast, the light parts of the pic become darker, and the dark parts become lighter. If you turn it up, the opposite happens. If you really turn it up a lot, you end up with only white and black, which works for some photos, but a very small percentage. Contrast in composition is a whole different thing. It can be a remarkably effective way to portray things in environments you would not normally find things. Bikini girls in the snow or cavemen in Times Square, things of that nature. Even more simply like a cell phone and an apple.

CONTRAST Examples

Balance Symmetry occurs when an image is split in to two and both halves are identical. Symmetry presents a mirror image. For example a butterfly has symmetry or is symmetrical, because one wing matches the other. Asymmetry occurs when an image is split into two and both halves are not identical. When an image is not the same on both sides it is said to be asymmetrical, because on half of the image does not present a mirror image of the other half. Asymmetry is designed to create a visual interest and variety. It can often cause an image to appear imbalanced.

Framing Framing is a technique used to bring the viewers eye to a point of interest. It involves the idea of composing your subject with a frame around it. A photographic frame is something that acts as a border or frame for your subject. The use of framing can also create perspective and depth. An example of framing would be a subject standing in a doorway. The doorway would be acting like a frame to the subject.

Repetition/Rhythm Repetition and rhythm are the repeating parts within a design, such as shapes, colours, or lines. Repetition involves using similar things over and over again. Rhythm on the other hand uses repetition to create a pattern. Repetition and rhythm are just as important to art as they are to music. Repetition is like the beat and Rhythm is like the melody. Our ears pick out the beat but follow the melody. Repetition can create reinforcement within a image whilst rhythm can create a flow, and allow your eyes to be guided by it.

Describe how this shows rhythm…

Composition The term composition refers to the way in which the elements and principles are arranged within the frame. Think of a landscape photograph as a jig saw puzzle, with dozens of different pieces demanding your attention. If you arrange all those pieces in the right order you’ll end up with an organised, structured image that makes sense and looks good. But if you put them together in any old way it will look like a muddled mess, and will become difficult to make sense of.

Composition Composition is all about arranging the elements of a scene in your cameras viewfinder so they form something visually interesting to look at. Every time you raise the camera to your eye you are composing a picture – the very act of deciding about what you want to include and what to exclude in the picture. As a photographer take the time to think about the composition before shooting away.

Think about your composition

Compositional Structures Compositional structures help create a sense of order within your images. There are generally three compositional structures that make up most of the images we see in the media. 1.CENTRAL COMPOSITION 2.RULE OF THIRDS 3. GOLDEN SECTION

Central Composition Placing an object in the centre of the frame is perhaps the most powerful compositional structure. Central composition is said to have the most visual impact when looking at a photograph because all the focus is drawn in to the centre of the frame. Having an object placed in the centre of the frame demands the viewers attention and is the strongest compositional structure.

Rule of thirds The rule of thirds is one of the most popular ‘rules’ in photography. Imaginary lines are drawn dividing the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically. You place important elements of your composition where these lines intersect. The main focal point can be placed within one or more of the intersect points. However if one object is placed within every intersect point it then creates central composition.

Golden Section This refers to the ratio of 5:8 within an image. This often applies to landscape, where there is a smaller portion of land to sky within an image or vice versa. This compositional structure is said to appear to the viewer as peaceful and does not tend to challenge the viewer when viewing the image.

refers to the relative size and scale of the various elements in a design. The issue is the relationship between objects, or parts, of a whole. Proportion

Movement: the arrangement of parts in an artwork to create a sense of motion to the viewer’s eye through the work.

Emphasis: the arrangement of parts in an artwork to create a feeling of dominance and importance on a particular area.

Angles One way to make your images stand out from others is to see it from another angle or viewpoint. When thinking about the subject in front of you and how you will capture it, move around a bit, up and down. Find an angle that no-one else sees or has thought of and start to create you own style.

Focal Point The point on the axis of a lens or mirror to which parallel rays of light converge or from which they appear to diverge after refraction or reflection

Leading Lines Paves an easy path for the eye to follow through different elements of a photo. Usually they start at the bottom of the frame and guide the eye upwards and inwards, from the foreground of the image to the background, typically leading toward the main subject.

Directional Lighting The lighting of an object or workplace from a desirable source location.

Illusion of Depth A false appearance or deceptive impression of reality  

Perspective   The appearance of objects, buildings, etc., relative to each other, as determined by their distance from the viewer, or the effects of this distance on their appearance