For picture 1,2, and 6, I feel like it is representing the shape of the focus. For the third and the last one, it looks like it is trying to show the texture of the object in the picture. For 4,5, and 7, it is describing the line. For picture 8 and 9, it really demonstrates the pattern. At last, I feel like 10 and 11 is trying to represent the form of the photo.

I tried to describe the ninth photo and had this photo as a result. I feel like the ninth photo really shows the pattern of the line, which I think my photo also represents the exact format. However, the photo would’ve been better if it had a higher clarity.

This photo below was meant to represent the sixth photo, and I feel like it worked pretty well. The use of the circle in the middle describes the photo and the monotone colors also adds some mysterious atmosphere.

I also really like how this photo turned out! This was meant to represent the third picture, which I believe shows the texture and pattern in an unique way. The photo I took looks really similar to the information picture with its pattern.

I was trying to show the last pictures horizontal texture, but it didn’t really turned out how I wanted it to be. The photo does provides some texture of the folded paper, however, it doesn’t quite match the example.

I tried to represent the sixth picture, which emphasized the shape of the focal point. The abstraction between the various colors highlights the photos elements, and I feel like this photograph kind of matches with the picture above; however all the designs seems to be distracting the main point, which was supposed to be the black colored figure.

“Shell” by Edward Weston

1. List 3 things the photographer might have been interested in capturing in this picture?

• the original and pure beauty of the shell
• the contrast between the black background and the inner part of the shell
• the monotone that makes the photograph more mysterious

2. If you were the photographer, what title would you give it? Explain why.

If I were the photographer, I would title it “Memories”. The pattern of the inner part of the shell makes me think of something going deep inside, which can also mean having lots of mindful memories that go to my brain, helping me remember those precious moments for a long time. Now, when we look at the general photo, the top left part of the shell, where the shell part starts, represents how memories get into our mind and get more detailed and deeper as they go further into the inside. The usage of color also includes some meanings, as the darker the part of the shell, the deeper it is, and the better the memory it has. To summarize, the photo shows “memories” as the shape and pattern of the shell reminds me of how we have many memories, but the most special moment eventually stays inside the shell, or our brain, letting us remember the memory longer.

3. Describe the use of line, shape, Pattern, texture, tone and focus – USE THE NOTES ABOVE AS A GUIDE. SOME EXAMPLES of WORK BELOW.

I believe the use of texture is masterfully expressed. The photo captures everything from the overall texture to the tiny detailed texture. Especially, the center of the shell is really well-described with the all the swirled texture , which makes the photograph more attractive. Also, the tone of the photograph really grabs the viewers focus as it directly shows the color contrast between the shell and the background. The use of tone is a great way to create depth and visual interest. The focus of the photograph really shows up, too. The clarity of the shell is incredible; it has a sharp and  clear focus, increasing the overall quality and completeness of the photograph. Also, the photographer represented the perfect round shape of the shell, having an outstanding focus and increasing even more engagement.

Work Cited:

Weston, Edward “Shell” photograph. Dragon’s Exchange, ISB, 15th August 2025. https://dx.isb.cn/dash/#/classroom/945836/sections/lesson/958329/page/958333, Accessed 15th August 2025.

Formal Elements, which are also known as line, shape, color, pattern, texture, tone, and focus, are the most basic things we always have in photography. Have you ever seen a photo without any of the formal elements? Even a plain black photo contains color and tone. Photography does not exist without formal elements; they’re like oxygen in our world, something we always have and need for life. Therefore, I define the phrase formal elements as the basics of photography.

1. Line : If we think of a line, people think of a long thing that is connected to each other, something straight, or even curved. Line can be straight or curved, long or short, and even think or think. Lines can create shapes, pattern, or focus, too.
2. Shape : Shape is something created by lines; our lines create a square, three lines create a triangle, and organic shapes are made with lines, too. Shapes usually grabs the viewers attention as it increases interest.
3. Color : Color is something that changes the photographs mood. Light colors show a gentle and calm feeling, while dark colors might represent something sad or terrifying. Every photograph contains color, even a plain photo has the color white; color is necessary.
4. Pattern : Lots of elements lining with each other equally forms a pattern. Patterns can be made by lines, shapes, colors, texture, and everything! It really snatch our eyes as it’s attractive.
5. Texture : Texture is basically how something is rough or smooth, or how something feels like. When we look at a rock, we automatically think that the rock will be rough, which also means that the it has a rough texture! Adding on, mirrors, books, or tables can represent a smooth texture.
6. Tone : Tone is closely related to color, it shows how light and dark colors are. For example, we can say sky blue has a light undertone, and navy has a dark undertone. Tones are really important as they creates interesting scenes.
7. Focus : Focus is the interesting one, it changes the clarity of the photo. If a photo is out of focus, it means that it’s really blurry, which relates to pictorialism. If a photo has a great clarity, we can clearly see what the photographer was trying to take.

Examples for each elements

1. Color

This is a photo named “Collision 5T” by Barbara Kasten. This photograph creates interested with the variety of colored glasses; red, yellow, and blue. Overlapping glasses creates a new color, too, for example, overlapping  red and yellow glasses looks like an orange colored glass. Like this, colors can really increase engagement and grabs the viewers attention!

2. Tone

This photo called “Pepper No. 5” by Edward Weston really represents the element “tone” in an mysterious way. The abstraction in this photography emphasizes the light and dark parts of the bell pepper; highlighting the monotone. The use of tone can increase curiosity.

3. Line

This photo is also taken by Edward Weston named “Onion Halved”. It emphasizes the empty parts of a sliced onion, and the empty parts seems like curvy black lines connected to each other. Those lines also creates an organic shape. These Lines doubles up the mysterious mood and depth.

4. Texture

This is a photo named “Chicago” by Aaron Siskind, which shows a great use of texture. The photograph focuses on the paint peeling off of a rough wall. It emphasizes the contrast between the texture of the wall and the peeling paint, which is super cool. Textures often leads the viewers attention as it has a great amount of visual interest and reality.

5. Pattern

This photo named “Tour Finaces” by Ola Kolehmainen shows a repetiton of rectangular shapes that has a great comopsition! The balanced shapes creates a calm and relaxing mood. Patterns can also create rhythms  with its equally repeated objects, which enhances the photographs engagement.

6. Focus

This photograph named “Cabbage Leaf” by Edward Weston emphasizes the focus of the cabbage leaf with its great clarity and the use of the color black as the background. As the photo is in focus, the viewers are able to catch the detailed parts of the object.

7. Shape

This photo by Edward Weston emphasize the shape of the shell, which eventually leads the viewers attention as it shows the detailed parts of the sell, too. Emphasizing the shape of the shell makes the photo to have a stronger focal point.

Lastly, I believe that an image can’t only show one element. A plain white photo will contain color and tone as it has a “white” color and a “light” undertone. Also, some photos even hold multiple elements, such as the bell pepper photo, it shows color, tone, shape, and form. Therefore, I feel like an image can’t only show a single element.

WORKS CITED:

Barbara, Kasten “Colloison 5T” Photograph. Barbara Kasten.net, Barbara Kasten, 2016, https://barbarakasten.net/collision/#4, Accessed 30th August 2025

Edward, Weston “Onion Halved” Photograph. Dragon’s Exchange, ISB, 15th August 2025, https://dx.isb.cn/dash/#/classroom/945836/sections/lesson/958329/page/958334, Accessed 30th August 2025

Edward, Weston “Pepper No. 30” Photograph. Dragon’s Exchange, ISB, 15th August 2025, https://dx.isb.cn/dash/#/classroom/945836/sections/lesson/958329/page/958334, Accessed 30th August 2025

Aaron, Siskind “Chicago” Photograph. metmuseum.org, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/267388, Accessed 31th August 2025

Ola, Kolehmainen “Tour Finances” Photograph. Invaluable.com, invaluable. https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/tour-finaces-1132-c-5534c45b35, Accessed 31st August 2025

Edward, Weston “Cabbage Leaf” Photograph. americanhistory.si.edu,The National Museum of American History, https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1384407, Accessed 31st August 2025

Edward, Weston “Shell” Photograph. Dragon’s Exchange, ISB, 15th August 2025, https://dx.isb.cn/dash/#/classroom/945836/sections/lesson/958329/page/958334, Accessed 31st August 2025

Is photography an art?

Since the invention of photography, critics have argued that it cannot be compared to drawing or painting because creating a photograph was thought to require only pressing a button. This view questioned photography as a legitimate art form. In 1902, Alfred Stieglitz initiated a secessionist movement to challenge this misconception, arguing that photography should be recognized as a distinct branch of art. Pictorialists began to treat photography as a handmade process by applying techniques such as smearing Vaseline on lenses, scratching negatives, and painting chemicals on prints to simulate brushstrokes. This made photography to a  handmade process, ultimately bringing it back to its traditional roots as a handmade art form, also showing that human invention is needed in photography.

In 1950, a revolution occurred in art, except in photography; everything had changed, except photography. Pictorialists still focused on the blurry mood. Then Paul Strand realized that cameras had a unique ability to capture forms sharply and directly, leading to the birth of “straight photography.” This new style marked a clear break from pictorialism. Unlike pictorialists, Strand took subjects as they appeared in reality, with sharp focus and without manipulation. Straight photography emphasized the true and real form of subjects, producing clear and straightforward images.

Additionally, the purpose of taking photographs underwent a significant change. Pictorialists viewed photography as a form of art, incorporating handmade processes and applied art techniques after taking photos, so that the images looked more complete and finished like paintings. Pictorialists manufactured their photos to resemble paintings, aiming to evoke that aesthetic of emotion. Instead, a straight photographer focuses on the beauty of the photo itself and the reality; no manipulation. These types of photographs often convey a clear and sharp sense of beauty in the subject, also focusing on the framing, which represents a distinct departure from pictorialism.

The introduction of straight photography created a significant revolution in the photographic world, inspiring new abstract forms. It introduced a fresh, modern concept that appealed mainly to young photographers. Today, straight photography is one of the most popular styles, followed and developed by photographers such as Andreas Gursky, the photographer of “99 cent”, and Edward Weston, the photographer of “Pepper No. 30.”

This is a photo named “New York 3” by Aaron Siskind, an abstract photographer. This photo focuses on the wall’s texture and has a clear focus. It also shows a unique form of the wallpaper falling. With this photo as an example, we know that the straight photography movement has influenced Aaron Siskind, as his photograph also focuses on its sharp focus, form, and texture, which were the main points of straight photography.

This photo above called “Pepper No. 30” is one of Edward Weston’s, an American photographer, most popular artwork.  It has a clear focus on the pepper, emphasizing the contrast between the light and shadow with its form. Taken in 1930, “Pepper No. 30” shows a radical departure from the prevailing soft-focus and atmospheric Pictorialist style to a much more pure formal vision. Weston became convinced that: “real photography can only be achieved through realism.” (“Edward”).

This is a photo called “99 cent” by Andreas Gursky. This photo shows a real view of a shop with various color shaded patterns, which grabs our eyes more than each individual products; abstract photography. With this photo as an example, I believe that Andreas Gursky can be considered as a straight photographer as his photos have a clear focus and seems like they’re almost not manipulated at all.

This is Uta Barth’s famous photograph name “Field #3”. As this photo, Uta Barth’s artworks are mostly out of focus, which makes her photographs abstract. Also, this lack of clarity informs us that she’s a pictorialist as pictorialists focuses on the blurry and romantic mood.

WORKS CITED:

Andreas, Gursky “99 cent” Photograph. Dragon’s Exchange, ISB, 15th August 2025. https://dx.isb.cn/dash/#/classroom/945836/sections/lesson/958329/page/958334, Accessed 30th August 2025.

Aaron, Siskind “New York 3” Photograph. The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996, https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1989.468, Accessed 30th August 2025

Edward, Weston “Pepper No. 30” Photograph. Dragon’s Exchange, ISB,15th August 2025. https://dx.isb.cn/dash/#/classroom/945836/sections/lesson/958329/page/958333, Accessed 30th August 2025.

“Edward Weston-Pepper No. 30” Holden Luntz Gallery, Holden Luntz, https://www.holdenluntz.com/artists/edward-weston/pepper-no-30/, Accessed August 30th 2025.

Uta, Barth. “Field #3” Photograph. Uta Barth, https://utabarth.net/work/field/#image-4, Accesed August 30th August.

How I define Abstract.

To define abstract in one sentence, it is a type of technique with a raw form of expression that people aren’t used to, but it shows representation, providing us with the ability to view the world from various perspectives. Art in general might seem like a planned or manufactured thing; however, abstract art shows and focuses on our real, natural world, which is also the key point of abstract photography. Abstract photography is a way different genre from other arts, as it requires us to focus on something that has always been present in our photos and which might look boring, including lines, shapes, forms, and others. Creating a photograph with an element that isn’t interesting is what makes abstract photography attractive.

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.

The sentence “Abstract photography can be defined as capturing images in which the subject is not the most interesting element” means that the photograph focuses on the shape, clarity, and color rather than the focal point. Additionally, abstraction may lead to a point where photos demonstrate new techniques, including extremely clear focus and perfect repetition within the photographs. Additionally, it may aim to let viewers observe the world from various perspectives, as it expresses an ordinary moment as a weird yet outstanding photograph.