Line focus

shape-pattern-texture-value

In photography, there are six formal elements. These formal elements are line, shape, pattern, texture, value, and focus. Lines can be straight or curved, singular or packed into the frame. Lines can add stability if they are unbent and horizontal, but they can be unstable if they are tilted. Vertical lines imply growth or power, probably because they are associated with moving up. Lines can be created by architecture, transitions between values, or naturally.

Shapes, like lines, can be round (organic) or straight edged (geometric). Shapes can effect the mood of the picture because of shape psychology. Some examples are that round shapes are more ‘friendly’ and ‘soft’, while harsher shapes like triangles can be considered ‘energetic’ or ‘sharp’. Organic shapes often imply something natural, while geometric shapes usually come from something man-made. Photographers can use this to help the theme of their photo.

While shapes and lines are almost unavoidable, patterns are not always in a photo (although they are common). Any repeating lines or shapes is be a pattern. Patterns can emphasize a theme or add visual interest. Patterns can be found in nature, such as in a fern or stripes on a zebra, or in architecture.

Texture is found everywhere. It is how an object looks like it feels. Texture can add variety between different subjects in a photo. Fluffy, smooth, rough, and fluid are some examples of textures.

Value is how light or dark something appears. Tone is how much grey is in a color. Value is unavoidable, though black and white photos will not have tone. Value and tone will likely be the first thing an audience notices. Stark difference will make the items in the photo very recongnizable, while blurred transitions can unify a piece.

Focus is how clearly elements appear in the photo. Sometimes the subject is clearly focused while background elements are blurry, sometimes the whole piece is clear or blurry or somewhere in between, depending on the artist’s intent.

The message of my triptych will be to show how strange that common things in our world can be if we look at them at a different perspective. Maybe looking closer at something, seeing a side of it you don’t usually see, or isolating a beautiful element you don’t often notice. I hope the audience will be able to find some excitement in everyday items or people in these photos. I have already found inspiration in a few artists, and some of my favorites have bright colors, close-ups, and unusual perspectives in their photos. I think these elements make the photos seem like something out of a fantasy story. I think that many of my subjects will fill up most of the frame and be in stark focus, I will blur out background elements that may not matter. I think this method will isolate the subject, making it even more otherworldly. I really enjoy seeing things in an unusual light. I think that all stories are different takes on reality, and it will be fun to bring this to photography.

Straight Photography

Pictorialism

Uta Barth

Andreas Gursky

1. Straight photography emerged in the early 1900s. The style is characterized by using a very sharp focus and not changing anything about the original image. This style influenced abstract photographers such as Edward Weston and Aaron Siskind. Both of these photographers, because of their time period, used black-and-white photography. Edward Weston is probably best known for his still lives. These photos often depict vegetables or fruits, calling attention to the shapes and patterns that often go unnoticed. His photos use the same sharp focus, making the subjects stand out against the often black background. Weston’s photos don’t change from what the camera sees to what gets presented. Aaron Siskind took similar photos, usually featuring unique textures from places all around the world. These textures are emphasized by the stark contrast that sharp focus can lend a piece. His photos are also black and white, so the only focus of the image is the texture and it looks less like something from our world.
2. We’ve established that abstract photography is making photos in which the subject isn’t the most interesting element. Uta Barth and Andreas Gursky are both abstract photographers. Uta Barth has made photos that show light from windows or blurry images of cityscapes. Both of these, as well as other kinds of photos Barth has taken, depict completely ordinary things, but with the help of someone seeing what beauty they have or could have, they became art. Her photos aren’t straight photography, most noticeably because they are often blurry or otherwise have soft transitions. They are also separate from Pictorialist photos, lacking that signature brush stroke touch. Andreas Gursky is known for his photos of stock exchanges around the world, as well as pictures he later touched up in Photoshop, removing undesirable elements or emphasizing desirable ones. While most of his photos are clearly focused, he is not a Straight Photographer because of the way he changes his photos after he takes them. Nor is he a Pictorialist, for the same reason as Barth.

Works Cited:

Siskind, Aaron “Jerome, Arizona, #21” Photograph. Artsy.net. 2025. https://www.artsy.net/artwork/aaron-siskind-jerome-arizona-number-21, Accessed Feb 7 2025

Kuhn, Heinrich “Mary Warner a contre-jour” Photograph. Wikiart.org. https://www.wikiart.org/en/artists-by-art-movement/pictorialism#!#resultType:masonry, Accessed Feb 7 2025

Barth, Uta “Field #23” Photograph. Guggenheim.org. https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/uta-barth, Accessed Feb 7 2025

Gursky, Andreas “Amazon” Photograph. The Broad. 

Abstract photography is the art of looking at something and seeing an unconventional kind of beauty in it. This could be an unusual angle, focusing on something apparently uninteresting, or considering what something could look like if the camera settings changed. Then, it entails capturing that beauty with a camera in such a way that other people could appreciate what the photographer saw.

“Abstract photography can be defined as capturing images in which the subject isn’t the most interesting element.”

This definition confused me at first. Does it mean that the subject is not the most interesting part of the photo, or that the subject isn’t very interesting from day-to-day life? It must be the latter, because why would someone purposely take a picture that isn’t very interesting?

With this definition, abstraction is the art of taking something common and making it extraordinary. I like doing this outside of the camera- noticing shapes and patterns that make anything something cool to look at. I think that abstraction will be a fun subject to learn.