Basic elements of a photo - Essay Example

Visual Arts and Film Studies Introduction Successful images depend on the basicelements of a photo that helps create emphasize about different aspects in the photo that the photographer wanted to bring forward. The main tools of a photo are line, form, design, shape, color, depth, lighting and symmetry. The photographer may pay attention to some of these elements depending on what he or she wants to emphasize. The picture does not necessarily need to include all these tools but can include one or two depending on the intentions of the photographer (Bowden 15). Images and their explanations Image 1 The above image employs particular elements of a picture that focuses the attention of the viewer to the main point that the photographer was bringing forward. The most vivid element is the symmetry, where the road is placed at the middle of the photo. A part from the road being at the central of the image, symmetry is brought about by the middle of the road that runs at the middle of the tarmac road dividing it into two halves. The use of symmetry helps to create striking photos and create points of interest (Bowden 18). The other tool seen in the above photo is lines, which run through the tarmac road. The other lines are on side in the farms on both sides of the road. Lines help create a form of a picture that, in turn, brings about the body of the image. The lines above are horizontal, which brings about a feeling of restfulness, stability and permanency. Most photos have an aspect of color and the above photo is not an exceptional. In the image, there are different colors, the most prominent colors are blue sky and green plants, green is described as cool color denoting comfort and soothing sensation. A bit of the patterns are similarly clear in the above photo especially in the plantations and the repeating white marks on the road. All these elements aid the viewer to focus on the main point in the image which in this case the photos strongly display a serene, comfortable environment of tarmac road passing through different plantations. Image 2 The above picture shows a portion of tarmac road taken from the side view. The prominent components of the above picture are trees, section of tarmac road and a road sign for drivers. To clear focus the attention of the viewer to these aspects the photographer used elements such as lines, color, lighting and pattern. The image shows the horizontal line that is yellow in color. Horizontal lines cast a sensation of restfulness and stability (Comon 77). The yellow color does not only make the color visible from far, but it is also classified as vibrant color that shows power, energy and make the view interesting. There is also use of red a color another vibrant color, it is easy to spot and cannot bypass the attention of the viewer. The sign post in the above photo acts as punchline of the image. Red and yellow color is a warm color and adds visual weight on a photo. The wall portrays some vertical and horizontal lines which sum up to a pattern. The repeated design gives the image a sense of reality and experience. The design is broken in the above image by presence of tree trunks a process known as breaking a pattern. The disruption of the continuous pattern creates contrast between the adjacent objects. Lighting element is correspondingly added in the above photo, the light focused mainly on the wall, trees and a sign post alongside the road. This attracts the attention of the viewer to these three things probably because the photographer intended to elaborate something about them. The other method seen above is burning and dodging which are described as selective darkening and lightening (Comon 80). The design focuses the viewer attention to the main thing and prevents eyes from wandering. Image 3 The above photo shows a comfortable and serene environment. The picture is attractive to the eyes and it looks real. The apartment or the building portrayed appear appealing and lively making any viewer interested in getting more details about the photograph. A beautiful view of the snap above is attributed to elements such as color, pattern, lines and texture. The colors present are orange and blue; they are designed in such a way that the orange color of the building is in front of a blue background created by the sky. The alignment of these photo assists the photographer to create a three dimensional image, an art employed in most photos and movies (Shapiro 59). The gorgeous view was taken in the evening when the sun was almost setting, making the house pop off the picture. The image was also taken in the presence of abundant light making the image spectacular. This reveals how important lighting element is, especially in getting stunning images. If the light were not enough, the image above would have been different principally if the snap were taken in the morning when the building is under the shade. The element of lines in the image brings forward the shape and form of the building. The vertical thick lines give the image a sense of strength and rigidity while the curved line has a feeling of softness settling and relaxation (Forsythe, Mulhern, and Sawey 30). The image similarly has an element of soft texture which in combination with sufficient light creates a three dimension image. Image 4 The above picture shows a man in the corridor during the daytime. The most prominent element in the snap is use of lines. The image is composed of vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines. The multiple horizontal lines on the floor create rhythm and drama to the image (Rockwell, Ryan, and Katie 01). The horizontal lines also include the horizon and the street side. Diagonal lines, here represented by the boundaries of lighting help guide the viewer towards the main subject. They are capable of rendering a photo sense of interesting view as well as the conveying sense of activity. In the above image, diagonal lines are also created by the form of the path and wall. The image also employees double punch line design where the notice board does not only capture the viewer’s attention, but also the viewer notices that the aged man in the image is mystified by the notice board (Shapiro 65). Another element in the image is the utilization of rough texture. The rough texture seen on the wall of the building gives a feel to the image and tries to convey a sense of three dimensional images to some extent. The lighting intensifies the texture of the building walls and surface of the floor. The texture in presence of light casts small shadows that adds to the depth of the image and conveys some reality in the image. The image also above contains form, it is revealed by the old man’s back view. When an image is taken by front or back view it attains form even in the absence of plenty light (Rockwell, Ryan, and Katie 01). Image 5 The picture above portrays the image of a man in a dark surrounding probably late in the evening. The design of the image above conveys significant element of shape. The shape of a picture is magnificently defined when the image is backlit or front lit. Shape is the principal tool for identification of objects, animals and people. The shape becomes successfully identifiable when it is amidst strong contrast with its environment so that it is isolated from the mess surrounding it (Rowse 01). Pictures attain the best shape when they are shot several minutes prior to sunset up to a few minutes after sunset just like the image shown above. The image above, therefore, appears as silhouettes. The silhouettes are images containing dark object on a light background, the image above shows dark shape of a man on slightly light background provided by the setting sun. The strongest and purest shapes are seen in silhouettes (Rowse 01). Conclusion From the explanations above, it is vivid that the composition of a photograph means a lot in the message communicated in an image. Photographing is an art every camera man should learn. The elements of a picture, though not clearly identified by everybody, exist in the subconscious state of every viewer. The most vital element of the image is color, which gives the image feeling and emotions. The other ingredients of a quality image are texture, lighting, lines, shape and pattern Works Cited Bowden, Darsie. Writing for Film: The Basics of Screenwriting. Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 2006. Print. Comon, Paul. Kodak, the Art of Digital Photography: How to Compose Winning Pictures. New York: Lark Books, 2007. Print. Forsythe, Alex, Gerry Mulhern, and Martin Sawey. "Confounds in pictorial sets: The role of complexity and familiarity in basic-level picture processing." Behavior Research Methods (2008): n. pag. Print. Rockwell, Ken, Ryan, and Katie. "What Makes a Great Photograph." KenRockwell.com: Photography, Cameras and Taking Better Pictures. N.p., Dec. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Rowse, Darres. "5 Elements of Composition in Photography." Digital Photography School. N.p., Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Shapiro, Ivor. The Bigger Picture: Elements of Feature Writing. Toronto: E. Montgomery Publications, 2009. Print. Read More