In art, there are several essential elements to consider when producing work to enhance the art and push it to a higher level. In photography, six of the key terms can be applied in the form to produce a shot with a high level of aesthetic, as well as a “high-standard quality” title to describe the photograph overall.

First of all, line. As we start to notice, learn, and accept it, we can find it everywhere in the world, in any form and any type. In a photograph, there can be many types of lines; straight, curvy, clear and grand, vague and serving as hints, even mysterious and containing deeper meanings (this requires a dig into the world to capture and collect). Lines can serve as guides, outlines, and even become the subject of the photograph itself.

A “lined” photograph of a park bench

 

Then comes the shape. Not just in photography, shapes happen to be in every moment when we open our eyes as everything and anything contains shape. In the world of photography, some shots were really focused on the actual shape of a single object or how multiple objects collaborate and reflect with each other to create a new shape.

Shells, 1927, Silver Gelatin Photograph by Edward Weston, mentioned in previous blogs

 

The next one is repetition/pattern. The base meaning of this is to find repeating elements in a single photograph and how they create a pattern, or simply, an interesting point that’s worth it to be displayed and seen by other people.

 

An abstract photo showing the colors of red, blue, black, and white to match together.

 

Next up comes the texture. For this element, an important question to consider is, “If one can touch the surface of the photograph, how would it feel?” This element is actually relatively hard to focus on and actually create, as the photographers cannot always determine the actual “touch” of their photographs, even though there can be some options they desire to create out.

 

A hard and rocky feeling comes up when this shot is observed and pretends to be touched

 

After that, comes up the value/tone. The value or tone of a photograph refers to the range of lightness and darkness within the image. It can directly impact the mood, depth, and overall visual appeal of a photograph.

Try to spot the lighter and darker parts in this photograph of this dog.

 

Finally, focus determines the first point that catches the audience when they get a look at the photograph. Photographers try to make what they want to display in a focus and match them with other techniques or elements.

In this photo, the zebra behind is the intended focus point, as the ground and the elephant in the front are all blurred and out of focus, making the clear zebra in the back stand out.

 

The last thing to be discussed in this post is whether one photograph shows evidence of only one element at a time or not. The answer is no, in fact, it’s rare that only only one is displayed. When a photographer finds inspiration and shoots it down, no matter whether it is intentional or unintentional, different elements match with each other to create an excellent outcome. For example, the repetition photograph above also shows a sense of lines and shape, as the red area forms straight guidelines matching the huge amount of squares portrayed. Also, the value/tone example shows a sense of focus as the photographer aims to use lighter and darker spots to display the dog, the primary object of the photograph, by making the backgrounds more faded and focusing tone changes on the dog.

To sum up, the six key elements in photography are certainly important and inevitable for a successful product, but the actual magic part is that all the elements work together in a single photograph to always create new and wonderous outcomes that are unknown yet and waiting to be discovered.

 

Works cited:

Blanchette, Jeff. “12 Amazing Photos That Will Make You Appreciate Leading Lines as a Great Composition Tool.” Pinterest, 15 Mar. 2018, www.pinterest.com/pin/458804280783220020/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

‌Luntz, Holden. “Edward Weston’s Shells.” Holden Luntz Gallery, 21 Nov. 2020, www.holdenluntz.com/magazine/new-arrivals/edward-weston-shells/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

“18 Stunning Examples of Patterns in Photography | Photzy.” Photzy, 2025, photzy.com/18-stunning-examples-of-patterns-in-photography/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Radwa. “25 Stunning Texture Photographs.” Photopoly, 26 Mar. 2012, www.photopoly.net/25-stunning-texture-photographs/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Guillen, Amar. “Why and How: Mastering Tonality in Nature Photography.” Guillenphoto.com, Guillen Photo, 22 Nov. 2019, www.guillenphoto.com/en/why-and-how-mastering-tonality-in-nature-photography.html. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Laubscher, Michael. “THE IMPORTANCE of FOCUS in PHOTOGRAPHY.” Wild Eye, 27 Nov. 2024, wild-eye.com/the-importance-of-focus-in-photography-15280/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.‌

The Pictorialism Movement was once a popular photographic technique that overpowered the photography field from 1885-1915, and its main aim was to enhance photography into a true art form. The effect of using this technique, simplified, would be that the photos shot look like real paintings.

Some of the main elements for a successful photograph of pictorialism include the “darkroom”, special papers, and unique filters.

An example of a pictorialism photograph.

 

On the other hand, unlike Pictorialism, which has a soft focus and manipulation, Straight Photography includes sharp focus, presenting the objects in a natural environment without any other types of enhancements, resulting in portraying the photo more like an actual “photo,” not a “painting.”

A photo shot using the straight technique.

 

Around the mid-20th century, pictorialism was getting more and more unpopular, and the straight technique was there to replace it as more artists chose to change and follow this form of photography. The straight technique focused more on the portray and representation of real objects than explaining a bit of an abstract style of the photo, which focused on pictorialism.

For instance, Edward Weston and Aaron Siskind, the two historical photographers, were influenced by the straight technique, which emphasized sharp focus, high detail, and truthful representation of subjects. They disliked and rejected the soft-focused “doctrine” of pictorialism and celebrated photography as an independent art form, apart from the promoting of “paintinglize” the photos shot in pictorialism. Weston’s careful, unmodified photographs that capture form, texture, and detail are a perfect example of straight photography. Siskind switched from documentary to abstract straight photography, highlighting surfaces, textures, and patterns. By being precise and thorough, he was able to blur the boundaries between abstraction and the realness of reality.

The “Cabbage Leaf” by Weston, succeeding in spotlighting the details of the vegetable.

 

“Aaron Siskind (American, 1903-1991) Gloucester 1H, 1944, printed later (Lot 163, Estimate $2,000-$3,000)”

 

On the other hand, artists Andreas Gursky and Uta Barth’s view of abstraction is quite different from the previous two. Unlike Weston’s work, which displays mainly black & white and shows perfect details on single objects, Gursky, a German photographer, loved to shoot multiple, more complex scenes. Some examples can be the colorful supermarkets, umbrellas beside the beach, or houses on the side, along the road. To summarize, Gursky’s large-scale images often display a vast, intricate scene of real-world subjects. His manipulation of perspective, scale, and multicolored patterns eventually mix together to create a “real-illusory” form of abstraction. Dissimilar to Gursky, Barth’s shot focused on lighting, blur, and eye-level perspectives to create abstract photographs. Unlike both Weston and Gursky, who had one single or multiple subjects for the audience to analyze, Barth’s work does not often have a specific target object; instead, the techniques mentioned above are what encourage the audiences to ponder and engage with the atmosphere she’d created for them.

In conclusion, if the level of judgment is deep and details matter, both Gursky, Barth, and their work, in my opinion, cannot be justified as either pictorialism or straight style. Their work does not necessarily follow the rules and/or (all the) requirements of pictorialism or straight, as both tried to jump out of the traditional limitations and chose to experience new art with their own styles and personalities shown in their work, ultimately, an “abstract” of their own, too.

“99 Cent” by Gursky, showcasing a vast supermarket with a high-level perspective and viewpoint.

 

A selection from Barth’s “…end of time” series, exploring important themes such as lighting, spacing, and perspective, in her own perspective.

 

Work cited:

An abstract is a thought or idea that exists but does not have a physical existence. In the world of photography, the “object” could actually not matter that much; instead, the lighting, style, and techniques applied to the photos will matter most in the final outcome of the visual appearance for the audiences to witness. It might also not form any logical sense for the audience to agree to, but this form of art does provide the audience a sense of curiosity and wonder to meet the aim of giving them an opportunity to explore. Eventually, one’s own diversified definitions and meanings will be capable of being formed, and each one can view the product of abstraction through their own perspective and lenses.

Abstract photography can be defined as capturing images in which the subject isn’t the most interesting element. Albert Renger-Patzsch and Aaron Siskind photographed the ordinary to reveal their beauty. Uta Barth reversed the typical use of the camera, shooting out of focus and Andreas Gursky photographs the repetition of elements. During this unit, you will investigate appropriate examples of abstract photography and respond in your own way.

This passage states that the shots will be taken “in which the subject isn’t the most interesting element”. In my initial thoughts, this sentence wants to state that the “subject” is less useful compared to the other components, such as skills applied in shooting the photo, as well as the later-on fixes and decorations. I hope that we will have the chance to learn the specific “skills” and eventually apply the skills to real life by finding interesting topics and “shooting” them down to make them even more interesting.