On page 23 of the course notes
students are asked to produce two sets, each of three images. In the first set
the composition should strive for balance and harmony, whilst the second set
calls for an unusual or unbalanced composition. In the latter set of images,
good reasons for using the unconventional compositions should be put forward.
Conventional Images
I normally strive, with mixed
success, for balance and harmony in my images. In theory, it should be easy to
produce three balanced images. However, for this exercise I tried to produce
examples in which two “subjects” were placed on opposite sides of the image in
order to balance each other, mirroring the examples that Michael Freeman uses
in the course notes (pp19-22).
In the first photograph (above), taken underneath
the A10 flyover near Ware in Hertfordshire, I have attempted to balance the
pillar on the left, with accompanying graffiti, with the flyover itself, which
recedes into the distance on the right. The intention is to draw the viewer’s
eyes to the graffiti in the foreground before following the road into the
distance. The brightness of the graffiti, coupled with the position of the
pillar close to the edge of the frame, at least compensates for the pillar
occupying less than half of the frame. The two units, although connected out of
the frame, are separated in the photograph by the horizontal canal and the
small tree. Unfortunately the weather was overcast and gloomy. I could have
cropped in from the left and retained balance in the composition, but that
would have meant losing part of one of the graffiti “figures”, which I didn’t
want to do.
The second image is a photograph
of a loaded barge on the River Thames, with Battersea power station in the
background. Although a bridge, several other buildings and the Thames foreshore
are also present I believe that the barge and the power station are the key
subjects. The power station, although smaller in the frame, balances the barge
by being close to the edge of the frame and having its four very distinctive
chimneys, which draw the viewer’s eye. In contrast, the “centre of gravity” of
the barge is close to the centre of the frame. Both the barge and the curve of
the foreshore (with accompanying long, thin pool of water) point towards the
power station, providing a connection between the two main subjects. I was
unable to fit the far left hand edge of the power station onto the frame
because it was blocked by other buildings and I was unable to find a better
viewpoint. The image has been cropped in order to remove some foreground and
some of the dreary sky.
The third image was a “grab
shot”, taken in Covent Garden, London. The lady on the left has taken a
photograph of the street performer on the right and both are examining the
result (I think I heard him pointing out a few technical problems with the
shot….). I have cropped in from the left in order to remove more of the lady’s
bright yellow jacket and leave what I believe to be a balanced, “square” image
with a diagonal link between the subjects. I wanted to include both their
faces: consequently I had to include part of a passer-by and some empty
pavement. Whilst the lady occupies more space the street performer, by virtue
of his unusual appearance, might be considered to balance her. A third subject,
in the form of the pink mobile phone, is worthy of mention. Both people are
looking at it, so it forms a link between them. The positioning of the subjects
and their lack of eye contact makes this the most “unconventional” of these
three conventional images.
Unconventional Composition
The more difficult part of the
remit was to produce unconventional images that had been deliberately created
for a reason. It was hard to find examples of subjects that could not be
photographed in a conventional manner to produce a “better” image.
The “unconventional” element of
the first image (above) is the out of focus section of ladder that separates the viewer
from the people behind it: why did I have to incorporate it into the picture?
Well, at the top of the ladder is another Covent Garden street performer doing
a balancing act, much to the amusement of the spectators, many of whom are
looking up at him. My aim is that the viewer will realise that the ladder has
significance and is connected to the (generally) amused expressions on peoples’
faces. I have also positioned the camera to enclose the faces of two of the
closest spectators within the rectangular frame provided by the gap between the
two rungs of the ladder.
These fields near Kelshall, close
to where I live in Royston, are much loved by landscape photographers who enjoy
the subtle undulations of the ground and the patchwork of different colours,
particularly when clouds are scudding across the sky on a sunny day and shadows
add to the patchwork effect. I regularly visit this area to take photographs
and have used some of the resultant images for earlier OCA course work, as well
as for the current course.
The unconventional aspect of this
image is that I have moved my subjects (a herd of fallow deer and a section of
a bush) to the very edge of the frame (top left and bottom right), whilst
leaving the vast bulk of the frame as an exercise in form and colour. The idea
is both to retain a sort of balance (but in an extreme way) and also to give a
sense of scale by incorporating the tiny deer. The absence of any subject would
have produced a completely abstract image, with little to interest the viewer.
Here, the diagonals produced by the field margins and “tramlines” are enhanced
by the diagonal connection between the limited subject matter. I have cropped
in slightly from the right and the bottom of the frame to produce this image.
The final photograph, of the
Selfridges building in Birmingham, views the building and part of a bridge
(that links it to another building) from an unconventional angle. The fact that
the wire supporting the bridge is almost vertical in the frame lends an air of
authenticity to the view. In fact the wire connects the bridge at an angle and
the bridge is horizontal.
The photograph was taken to
emphasise the curves of the Selfridges building and its unique design. The
viewer’s eye is intended to follow the lines of circles from the left hand edge
of the frame to the top right, then down the wire to the bridge and finally to
ask either: “why is the bridge not horizontal?” or “what is this object that
falls off the bottom of the image”?
No comments:
Post a Comment