1.  ELEMENTS 

Formal element: It is the visual features that, when applied in composition, have the potential to transform simple subjects into great shots.

6 Elements: line, shape, pattern, texture, tone, focus:

Line: everything that stretches between two points

Shape: the two-dimensional appearance of objects

Pattern: a regularity within a scene

Texture: the visual depiction of variations in the color, shape, and depth of an object’s surface

Tone: the level of brightness in the photograph, from solid black to pure white

Focus: a combination of lens aperture and light.

Photography cannot show only one formal element at a time because if we look at the pictures above, even the author wanted to emphasize lines, but it still has focus and tone. One photograph has several formal elements combined.

2. Paul Strand 

The Photographer emphasized lines, shapes, and texture. If I was the photographer I would title this photo “question mark?”  because it is really hard to find the purpose and context of the photo, it seems meaningless. I think it is unusual from other photos because the author utilizes shadows to make patterns. Which is very unique and interesting. The Line of the shadow is straight, however, the line of the object is round. The patterns created by the shadow are square-shaped. The texture of the thing is smooth, and the tone is not that dark but not that bright. In my opinion, the photo doesn’t have a specific focus.