Month: February 2023

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One of the pictures that worked quite well for me is the first one since I managed to find a spot that captures the line in the middle, and some subsequent relationships, without many complexities that may affect the overall image. For that picture, I focused on how the line divided the gravel and concrete. In addition, the gravel seems to have a gradient of leaves, with more leaves intertwined with the gravel nearer to the line. Overall, I think this allowed for a great interpretation of the provided image with added meaning and maintained the compositional balance between the line and other elements.

The third picture works quite well for me since it is a relatively more straightforward image without any significant compositional techniques other than texture. I managed to capture this by finding an evenly-lit surface. Still, by some combination of sunlight, I managed to capture the intricacies in the texture of the flooring, some of which possibly emphasized with shadows. Combining a lighter and darker character – black and bright yellow – produces contrast within the texture, making it aesthetically appealing.

For this image, I primarily focused on gaining the effect of converging lines composing a shape, as depicted by the unequal slope of lines in the photo jungle picture. As a result, it made it so that I did not focus much on the other compositional elements of the image, including the color used and the sharpening/focus. Although the simple nature of this photo manages to contribute interest towards the seemingly converging lines, this has come at the expense of focus in which I used a deeper depth of field to capture more intricacies of the shape in the upper portion of the picture, but at the same time disregarding the bottom of the picture that may actually be too close/shallow for my lens to properly capture. The reflection of the light on the right portion of the picture makes it so that the surrounding white background is not entirely gray, which takes away from the unique qualities of line and shape. Although I think I could probably maintain my composition in the picture, I can improve upon this picture by making minor adjustments for the most desirable effect.

Although this picture is (to me) quite a cool picture with its complex qualities, I feel that such complexity has impacted the central compositional element of lines converging toward the center of the image. Although such lines exist with the converging of the staircase and the staircase walls, it is complemented by the staggered staircase, the various shapes along the walls, the shadow created by the left wall, and the blue color at the top of the picture, in addition to other elements. I think that these numerous elements have made it difficult to distinguish the primary compositional aspect of the photograph, which is the converging lines, but I still think this picture is still quite cool, albeit not the best for this specific activity.

In this picture by Paul Strand, I think Strand may have been interested in the lines and shapes created by the shadow, which contrasts with the white surface of the knocked-over table and adds interest by creating variation with the repetition of the shadowy form. I think that he could have also been interested in the chair’s texture since when not lightened it seems to depict a rougher or coarse surface which adds interest and further contrasts between the light and dark. Lastly, I believe Strand could have been interested in capturing the tone of the table with the enlightened white surface portions and the portions covered by shadow, perhaps with the intention of contrast.

If I were the photographer, I might give this photo the title of “Fallen Lines” since the picture seemingly depicts a fallen table on its side and the various lines created by the shadows and the chair itself are prominently seen throughout the image.

I think something unusual about this picture is the lack of context that this image has since the object is portrayed in the picture. However, what seems to be a table, could very well be another item of furniture, such as a chair or otherwise, making it unclear what the purpose of this image is. This is complemented by the fact the title of the image does not provide any additional context beyond the location and the fact that this is an abstract photo, which does not add much context to the object within the image. I think that the lack of context actually contributes to the meaning of the picture since it makes it so that a viewer may develop unique interpretations or thoughts of the photograph, which could be the intent of this image as a piece of abstraction.

In this image, lines are used throughout the image that are created with the combination of the object in the picture and angled lighting so that shadows will create lines at an angle different from the edges of the chair and the shadows on the floor. Having so many lines at different angles adds complexity to the image, which could inspire interest or fascination by seemingly perceiving the dynamical movement of the shadow.

Shapes, in relation to lines, are used varyingly. The lines at unique angles create polygons that seem to be geometrically irregular with sharp angles yet have an essence of parallelism with surrounding shapes and lines. Thus, this seems to seemingly create a form of disorganization, perhaps even chaos, within uniformity and order. The combination of these two seemingly contrasting elements adds emphasis to the differences made within this image.

Quite obviously, pattern is used in this image through the repeating patterns of lines and shapes to create a sense of conformity within the unorganized image. I think this could be related to the contrast between the abstraction within the image with the formalism of photography at the time, seemingly implicating how abstraction, which is entirely inclusive of disorder, can be inclusive of organization, even if it may conflict.

The use of textures is seen in the difference of the shadows on the chair, in which finer details of roughness is brought out, comparing to the lightened portions of the chair and the (I’m assuming) wood floor. I think these textures help distinguish between three elements in the picture, namely the floor, the shadow and the light, contrasting these three parts apart.

This image’s tone is monochromatic, with various shades of darker and lighter colors used. Although the most prominent colors are probably gray/black and white, there are clearly different shades in different parts of the picture. In line with the patterns of the lines and shapes, I think this helps to add contrast between the elements mentioned in the above paragraph.

The picture is taken in a seemingly shallow depth of field. The object (chair/table/?) taking up most of the image is portrayed quite sharply, whereas the floor seems out of focus. This could perhaps be an effort to emphasize the chair and the shadows shown there?

I think what is best about this picture is the fascinating depiction of abstraction using a seemingly simple household object positioned in such a manner that it isn’t apparent what the object even is. The use of light in this picture seems to add many interesting elements that are subject to interpretation and analysis, which could create such interesting effects when combined with something so simple that this could perhaps be recreated similarly simply by utilizing furniture and sunlight. I think this photograph is a masterful use of various elements of photography in which simple circumstances could result in such expert employment of techniques.

Formal Elements

Formal Elements is the basic compositional elements of photographs, consisting of line, shape, pattern, texture, tone and focus. Photographs that utilize these compositional elements tend to invoke interest or other emotions from viewers, or otherwise exhibit various other feelings, commonly emphasizing the authorial intent that a photographer may have.

Lines

Line, being one of the six formal elements, is quite apparent and common throughout objects. Lines, when combined in various angles or lengths, could compose shapes, but lines, to me, represent one part of the physical dimensions that any object may have, or the object itself, in difference from other objects that may be in the foreground or background, or otherwise separated from this object. Commonly, lines are mostly regarded when they are straight, but lines could also include arcs or any sort of line that may be apparent in the photograph or nature. Lines are most notable in abstract photographs if they are used in a repetitive manner or with a certain direction.

“Converging Lines” (Dooley)

In this example, horizontal lines along the photograph invokes interest since it is a prevalent element of this photograph. The repetition of lines seem to suggest the verticality of the structure (what I’m assuming is the side of a building), or perhaps also reflective of the stark emptiness and lack of use of this structure. The shadow and the barriers/protruding objects also add vertical lines into the mix, which contrasts well with the horizontal lines of the stairs.

Shape

Shapes, to me, is a combination of lines in such a way that it forms a geometric shape of some sort, which is commonly made using the outline or silhouette of objects. Shapes, like lines, are very commonly found and generally make up all objects or parts of objects within a photograph. For it to be significant, shapes are often used in patterns of repetition in such a manner that shapes would become a motif or a prevalent element within a photograph.

(Buchi)

In this photograph, the predominant formal element present is geometric shapes that is made up from the structural design of this object, what seems to perhaps be of a building. The lines at various angles form multiple shapes of triangles which composes the entire picture, with sharp angles that seem to stick out and a curvature to the shapes to add variation to the pattern of shapes.

Texture

Texture mostly pertains to the physical qualities that a shape or object may have, commonly capturing the details of the surface of an object, whether it be coarse or smooth. With the inclusion of texture, more visual detail is captured within the picture and thus invokes interest, depth or contrast.

(Pelletier)

This photo contains many other formal elements, but the focus on tactile texture is arguably the main compositional element of this photograph. The wavy pattern on the leave seem to imply coarseness, but otherwise attracts due to its extreme attention to detail that is normally not noticeable. Texture, in this image, goes hand in hand with elements such as lines, which are quite prevalent with the stems and surface of the leaf forming varying lines.

Value/Tone

Tone (or Value) refers to the range of lightness or brightness, differing between portions of a picture. In other words, tone pertains to the percieving of light combined with color when captured by the image. In most instances, this would pertain to gray tones between white and black, especially in black-and-white photography in which tone is quite significant. Tone usually amounts to contrast and depth being portrayed in an image, but could also pertain to an illusion of form or the creation of some sort of invoking mood.

“Ghastly Arches” (K)

This image utilizes tone by adjusting the image to resemble black and white pictures, providing contrast between the light cast by the light fixtures and the foliage surrounding the arches. The colors used in the picture itself are also adjusted to be colder or tinted blue to invoke feelings of coldness and, perhaps, melancholy.

Focus

The element of focus pertains to the sharpness or bluriness of objects within the image. Being controlled manually by the depth of field, this allows for certain objects within an image to be put at the center of attention or at a specific perspective, as well as portraying depth, all of which contribute to attracting interest to a specific portion of the photograph.

(Schulenburg)

In this image, a shallow depth of field is used to direct interest and focus towards the bird and the tree that it is on, therefore resulting in the background being blurry and the bird being sharp in the picture. The use of focus also is indicative of depth by portraying the bird and tree to be in the foreground whereas the other scenery or foilage is in the background.

Can Formal Elements be used One at a Time?

I don’t think so. All of the photos above, for example, portray multiple formal elements within the image. Of course, many pictures may have a formal element be more prevalent, but it is virtually impossible for a picture to only contain one of the few elements. All of these elements are closely related to each other, making it not really possible for only one to be used at a time.

To me, an abstract photo portrays an image in such an unusual way that it provokes thought or interpretation from a viewer. Typically, abstract images tend to be aesthetically pleasing and pleasing to the eye but intentionally limit the subject of the picture not to the object portrayed within the photograph but to compositional elements of the abstract image, commonly attributes or qualities of the object or its surroundings.

The Pictorialism Movement was a movement for photography to be considered more of a form of art on par with paintings instead of simply depicting reality. Photographers in this movement tended to focus on an image’s beauty, tonality and composition rather than visual accuracy. Although ideas inspiring this movement have existed since the 1850s, such as from painter William John Newton, this movement was the most active between 1885 and 1915, in which photographs were generally manipulated to increase their artistic impact, many times to produce stories or otherwise deeper meaning within images. This movement has inspired innovation for newer photography techniques and other artistic movements, laying the foundation for aspects of modern photography.

In contrast, the straight photography movement was a movement for producing more detailed and visually realistic images by tending to not manipulate taken pictures and strictly depicting objects as portrayed on the camera. To achieve a pure effect, the image is generally not edited at any stage of the photo-making process, including taking the photo, editing in the darkroom, or through digital editing. This movement was the foundation for many other movements, such as documentary, photojournalism and abstract photography. Ultimately, this was a prevalent movement due to the appearance of amateur cameras and their dominance in advertising, design, and journalism.

Aaron Siskind was influenced by straight photography by including elements of abstraction within the pictures, effectively combining them. In his photographs, a style reminiscent of straight photography is used in which aspects of the image are kept visually realistic yet include elements of abstraction with how the subject is unclear at the initial viewing. In other words, Siskind utilized straight photography’s influence to portray something intentionally in an abstract manner.

Photos taken by Andreas Gursky and Uta Barth are abstract in that their photos include compositional elements that invoke interest or curiosity when viewed, inspiring consideration into the image, and having no clear subject and, in some of their pictures, repetition of such elements. I would consider Gursky to be more of a straight photographer since many of his images are weighed in reality and use techniques commonly seen with straight photography, such as sharper photographs with immaculate details and no obvious modification to the image itself while portraying complex landscapes. I would also consider Barth a straight photographer, depending on the image, since many of her pictures incorporate a sharp focus and lack of subject for an effect of abstraction. However, most of her other photos modify the focus and have an object that could be considered as the subject of the photograph, although it is placed in such a manner that it would take consideration to determine the subject.