Photography

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.