The phrase Formal Elements is defined as the foundational components that make up the photographic picture. The elements include line, shape, pattern, texture, tone, and focus. These elements help to organize and structure the image and generate its visual language.

1. Line: lines is one of the fundamental elements in photography. It mainly create movement and structure for the audience. Lines can be straight, curved, or jagged, and it can be find in mostly all the objects appears. For instance, a picture of road or landscapes can easily identify the different types of lines, which grabs attention of the viewer’s eye to make it more attractive.
2. Shape: shapes are mainly generated by the lines. Photography wise, it can be geometric or organic. Shapes provide structure to evoke specific feelings or moods to the audience. Such as the circular shapes can feel soft while sharp shapes can create the feeling of tension.
3. Pattern: patterns are the arrangements of shapes and lines in an image. Different patterns can bring different feelings to the audience based on its composition. Patterns can be found throughout our life, from natural landscapes to architectures. Using patterns effectively can create a sense of order for the photo.
4. Texture: texture is defined as the surface quality of the object. It can be rough, smooth, soft, or hard. By including textures in an image, the photo created can evoke different sensation, which is very important, making the viewer to “feel” the surface through the image.
5. Tone: tones is identified as lightness or darkness of an image, which can effect the mood and the atmosphere of an image. It is often determined by the settings of the camera, such as the exposure or iso. High-key images tend to have light tones and evoke a sense of brightness, while low-key images is more of a darker tones.
6. Focus: focus usually refers to the clarity of the subject in an image. It is an important tool for drawing the viewer’s attention to the emphasized item. Photographers use focus to separate the important elements in the frame, mostly by using shallow depth of field the blur the background or by keeping everything in sharp focus for a detailed image.

However, the photographer will not likely achieve the idea of only including one element in an image. This is because every image will emphasize many different ideas to the audience. For instance, even though there is only a straight line in a picture, the tone will also be created due to this straight line, and multiple lines combined would likely create shapes, such as building structures or natural landscapes.

 

 

“Understanding the 7 Formal Elements of Photography.” Focus, focus.picfair.com/articles/7-formal-elements-photography. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.