Photography 1: The Art of Photography

Project: Lines
Exercise: Diagonals

For this exercise four photographs were taken, which used diagonals strongly.  Diagonals can be found in many places and I attempted to include a variety of subjects and locations.

The four photographs are shown below:

4924.jpg; Pentax *ist D; 18-55mm lens; F9.5; 1/45s

4921.jpg; Pentax *ist D; 18-55mm lens; F4.5; 1/10s

4917.jpg; Pentax *ist D; 18-55mm lens; F8; 1/20s

4872.jpg; Pentax *ist D; 18-55mm lens; F11; 1/350s

Images in the text book that use diagonals include "A family on Their Lawn One Sunday in Westchester, New York, 1969".  The linear perspective of the converging lines form diagonals.  There is a bold diagonal formed by the tent in Matthew Brady's image "John Henry, A Well Remembered Servant, 1865".  William Henry Fox Talbot's image "The Open Door" uses the diagonal formed by the angle of the leaning broom.

What did I learn from this exercise?

Diagonals have a much greater sense of movement and direction than verticals and horizontals.  This is partly because they make an immediate contrast with the frame edges, and partly because they have an association of being physically unstable, even of falling.  Diagonals are extremely useful as graphic devices in a composition.  They can add an overall sense of activity to the image, and specifically catch the eye and take it along their length.  Diagonals are an important element in controlling the way someone looks at a photograph.

Good placement of a natural line can very effectively focus attention on the subject, connect different areas of the image together, or create movement and depth.  Diagonal lines in particular impart a feeling of motion and vitality - they seem to be rising or falling, or moving away from or towards the viewer.

Photography 1: The Art of Photography

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize - National Portrait Gallery, London

I visited the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize exhibition recently and the National Portrait Gallery in London.  The standard of the entries was very high.  I have included in this blog the three photos that I found the most inspiring.

"Huntress" by David Chancellor

This picture is of a 14 year old American girl on her first hunt in Africa.  The photographer says about the picture: "Contrast between the peace and tranquillity of the location, plus Josie's ethereal beauty and the dead buck, was what I wanted to explore.  Here was a vulnerability and yet also strength".  I particularly liked the quality of the light and the stillness of the model.

"Merel" by Clare Shilland

This photograph was shot near to the model's home in Antwerp by Clare Shilland for an exhibition titled Girls! Girls! Girls!  I liked that the models hair tones with grass in the background and that there are no clothes to distract the viewer.

"Wafa" by Felix Carpio

This photograph is a portrait of a young girl in Beirut.  I found the colours of the image and the apparent confidence of the model appealing.

Photography 1: The Art of Photography

Project: Lines
Exercise: Horizontal and Vertical Lines

This exercise required me to go out and look for examples of horizontal and vertical lines and photograph them.  I photographed four examples of horizontal lines and four of vertical lines.  I tried to subordinate the content of the picture to the line.  I attempted to produce photographs where the line is the first thing a viewer would notice.

The four photographs with horizontal lines are shown below:

4888.jpg; Pentax  *ist D; 18-55mm lens; F8; 1/180s

4881.jpg; Pentax *ist D; 18-55mm lens; F11; 1/250s

4891.jpg; Pentax *ist D; 18-55mm lens; F11; 1/60s

4869.jpg; Pentax *ist D; 18-55mm lens; F8; 1/180s

The four photographs with vertical lines are shown below:

4884.jpg; Pentax *ist D; 18-55mm lens; F11; 1/60s

4886.jpg; Pentax *ist D; 18-55mm lens; F8; 1/60s

4892.jpg; Pentax *ist D; 18-55mm lens; F11; 1/90s

4895.jpg; Pentax *ist D; 18-55mm lens; F8; 1/30s

What have I learned from this exercise?

When looking around in my environment I found that there were a large number of situations where horizontal and vertical lines are found.  Because our eyes cannot help but follow a strong line they are perhaps the most powerful element in a composition.  Vertical lines suggest strength, while horizontal lines suggest calmness and passivity.

Repeating patterns can be very powerful and stimulating to the eye.

Photography 1: The Art of Photography

Project: Points
Exercise: Multiple Points

For this exercise a still life was set up using a velvet cloth background and a selection of pebbles from the beach.  The pebbles were chosen to be of similar size.  The camera was on a tripod and a photograph was taken each time a pebble was added to the grouping and also whenever a pebble was moved to a new place in the grouping.  I considered the effect that each move and new addition had on the overall grouping.  This process produced a sequence of photographs that record the creation of the final still life.

For the final photograph I drew a sketch, indicating the "lines" that relate the objects and any basic shape or shapes that they formed.

Stage 1; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 0.62s

Stage 2; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 0.62s

Stage 3; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 0.62s

Stage 4; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 0.62s

Stage 5; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 0.62s

Stage 6; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 0.62s

Stage 7; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 0.62s

Stage 8; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 0.62s

Stage 9; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 0.62s

Stage 10; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 0.62s

Stage 11 final layout; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 0.62s

Stage 12 with sketch indicating lines; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 0.62s

What have I learned from this exercise?


A group of objects implies a network of lines, and can also create a shape, by implication.  In still-life photography, one of the basic skills is to be able to group objects together in such a way that they are linked attractively, in a relationship that is active rather than obvious and static.

Photography 1: The Art of Photography

Project: Points
Exercise: The relationship between points.

For this exercise I found two normally occurring situations in which there were two points, and then took the pictures quite naturally.  In these photographs it is the relationship between the two points that dominates the composition.  An implied line and direction is set-up in the picture.  A vaguely defined space is created just around the two points.  One point will attract more attention than the other, because it is bigger, appears nearer, or is closer to the centre.

Cows.jpg; Nikon D300;18-105mm lens; F13; 1/100s

The point created by the cows in this picture is the stronger of the two.  Although both points are close to the edge of the frame, the cows are brighter and larger than the other point.

BoatAndCottage.jpg; Nikon D300;18-105mm lens; F11; 1/50s

The boat in this picture is the stronger point.  This is because it is nearer to the camera and is close to the centre of frame, although near the bottom edge.  There is a reasonable balance in the image between the cottage and the boat, both being approximately the same size.


For a special case, in which both points attract attention equally, I photographed someone's face full-on, in extreme close-up, just including the eyes.  The picture was composed so that the eyes are equidistant from the centre of the frame.

Eyes.jpg; Nikon D300;18-105mm lens; F8; 1/15s

For this photograph, in order to avoid using the flash, I used a wide aperture.

In this image the eye does not resolve the composition.  The two points attract attention equally.

What have I learned from this exercise?

With two points in a composition, it is the relationship between the two points that dominates the composition.  The eye is drawn from one to another, in turn.  This sets up an implied line and direction in the picture, and also creates a vaguely defined space just around the two points.  Commonly, one point attracts more attention than the other.  If the two points attract equal attention the eyes cannot resolve the composition.  The resulting unresolved tension often damages a composition, but it can also be a useful device in activating an image.

Photography 1: The Art of Photography

Project: Points
Exercise: Positioning a Point.

For this exercise 3 photographs were taken in which there is a single point, placed in a different part of the frame in each example.

Central.jpg; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 1/160s

In this photograph the derelict industrial building is a strong point in the photograph.  It is a single focal point in the image that draws the eye very strongly.  It therefore fulfils the basic function of a point of focussing the attention.  The composition is quite static as the point divides the frame equally side to side and top to bottom.  The horizon creates a weak sense of movement by drawing the attention towards the point from the sides.  With the building placed centrally in the frame it gives it a feeling of isolation.

Off Centre.jpg; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F18; 1/1250s

In this photograph the shipping marker at the entrance to the harbour is a strong point in the photograph.  It is a single focal point in the image that draws the eye very strongly.  It therefore fulfils the basic function of a point of focussing the attention.  There is a good sense of movement as the cliff line draws the attention towards the point from the sides.  This image is less static than the previous one as it is divided on approximately a "third" by the point.  Unfortunately there is little in the photograph to balance the point.

Edge.jpg; Nikon D300; 18-105mm lens; F13; 1/160s

In this photograph the statue is a strong point in the photograph.  It is a single focal point in the image that draws the eye very strongly.  It therefore fulfils the basic function of a point of focussing the attention.  There is a good sense of movement as the hedge lines draw the attention towards the point from the sides and there is movement due to the point being placed close to one edge of the frame.  There is a reasonable balance in the photograph with the hedge bank on the right hand side providing a balance to the statue.

What did I learn from the exercise?

For an object in a frame to be a strong point it must be sufficiently small  and distinct.  It must provide a single focal point and draw the eye very strongly.  The basic function of a point is to focus the attention.

A sense of movement in a photograph is created by drawing attention towards the point from the sides.  The strength of this sense of movement is proportional to the distance from each side.

A point implies a division of the frame.