Assignment 2: Elements of design.

This assignment requires that I select one subject from a list of 5 or choose a subject of my own, and produce a minimum of 10 photographs  which will incorporate all that I have learned so far in this course.  

The following elements of design should be interpreted within the choice of photographs:

• single point dominating the composition
• two points
• several points in a deliberate shape
• a combination of vertical and horizontal lines
• diagonals
• curves
• distinct, even if irregular shapes
• at least two kinds of implied triangles
• rhythm
• pattern

My chosen subject is 'floral art'.  Taking on board and looking at the recommended photographers of flowers and plants suggested to me and by further research of floral photography and photographers I came to the conclusion that this subject may lead to a creative outcome.  

Suggested photographers to study were: 

Heather Angel - Plants and floral were of particular interest to me,  to create such wonderful studies, consideration had gone into simplicity, colour combinations, lines, rhythm.  The use of only black or white backgrounds in the floral studies bought to the for-front the colour, shape and lines in the overall composition.  

Niall Benvie- field studies of wild flowers, singular images of wild flowers, against white background, some creative work with artistic flare. 

Ernst Haas - American/Austrian photographer who often published in Life Magazine. His photograph dated 1946, Leaves and shadows Vienna, a black and white study, lit from above to create shadows, advanced for its time. The curved lines and proportions very well thought out with the shadows replicating the leaves and stems present in the photograph.  Several other of his images contained slight movement, creating a mysterious misty effect, particularly a study of a field of flowers,  Nairobi Study dated 1970, where the viewer is to believe there is rain falling at a diagonal to the framing of the shot...can be seen in Ernst Haas, Creation Portfolio.

Robert Mapplethorpe. An American who towards the end of his life concentrated on studio shots of floral art.  Creations of unconventional compositions that were lit to create dramatic dark and light contrasts.  The lighting whether natural or studio, created dynamic diagonal lines from the straight lines of the study.  All his floral studies were well composed taking into consideration, colour, contrast, composition, lighting and precise focus.

I also studied works by:
Stephen Feld.  Originally a landscape photographer who has gradually worked towards creating beautiful, colourful images of floral art.

Linde Waidhofer. Linde's goal when photographing wild flowers is to create a strong composition that involves wild flowers. She seeks simplicity and takes into consideration the geometry within the frame.  There is a use of triangles and diagonals in her work, and sometimes selective focusing for that special effect. 

Alan Rokach  

Beth Eggleston is featured in a book I am at present reading, The elements of photography, written by Angela Faris Belt, it is from Beth Eggleston's Typologies series which features Blue roses and the images seen that I considered floral art as my subject matter for assignment 2.  It is mentioned in the artist portfolio, the individuality of the blue rose, no original, as they do not exist, there are only ever copies, and those images seen are plastic stemmed, frayed artificial flowers. 

Beth Egglestone's Typologies-Blue Roses.

Replicas, and badly produced fakes of original flowers are in abundance here in Oman, with only one or two small florists in the town of Sohar where I live, it is from these two shops I am able to purchase the StarGazer Lilies, Roses and standard Chrysanthemums........I have set myself the challenge of using as many living specimens as possible in assignment 2, with the knowledge that with the use of artificial flowers if needed................'floral art' through design will be my theme.

Single Point in elements of design. 

Fig 1. 
 1/2 sec     f/16.0    105 mm Macro     ISO 250    AWB
Manual Mode.     Tripod Utilised

'Heart'

Single point of interest, concentrating on the pistil of the flower, the 'Heart' of the bloom.  The single point is small in the frame and contrasts with the petal that surrounds it.  The aperture was f/16.0 to gain more focus throughout the image, and the natural sunlight bounced off the white background to soften the edges of the petals and to render them nearly transparent.  

Two Points in elements of design

Taking inspiration from the Beth Eggleston's Blue Roses, seen in the Typologies series. 

Beth Egglestone's Blue Rose

Fig 2.  

  f/5.6     ISO 250     105mm  Macro lens   1/80sec    AWB 

Manual Mode     Tripod utilized     Flash used  

'Still life'

 I purchased a silk rose for the sole purpose of  using it specifically in this element of design - two points.

Consciously the two flowers were placed following the rule of thirds, and framed in the vertical orientation.  The image was taken in vertical format and rotated clockwise by 45 degrees to give the horizontal image I desired.

Determined to achieve an image where background darkness wraps itself around the two flower forms, with no distractions, a shutter speed of 1/80sec and a decrease in the aperture, resulted in the  increase in the darkness of the background I required.

The final image is close enough to enable the viewer to concentrate on the frayed edges of the petals, the textures, shapes, short curved lines and colour.

Several points in a deliberate shape in elements of design

Fig 3.    

13/10sec    f/9.0     ISO 100     70mm     AWB

Tripod utilised     Aperture Priority.  

Taking into consideration various shapes in design, I decided to create an easily identifiable regular shape, the triangle, which strongly conveyed direction.  I believe that this has been achieved in this photograph. The strong point of the leaf, creates the apex of this triangle and directs the eye.  The three roses also create a pyramid effect.  

The plan originally was to convert this to black and white, as the colours of the rose were so strong and are complimented by the red edges of the leaf, I decided to retain the photograph as it was originally taken, cropping a little on the left to create a well balanced image. 

This was set up in front of a large window and the natural light highlights the dips in the leaf and catches the tips of the one rose.

Several points reworked

 

I took the advise of my tutor report and cropped the image as it was thought that it looked to be toppling over, creating a more balanced image. I agree with my tutor that this works well especially with the contrasting background. 

A combination of vertical and horizontal lines in elements of design

 

Fig 4.

1.30sec    f/20.0    105mm lens    ISO 160    AWB      Manual mode

Tripod utilised  

Photoshop was used to create this crop, removing a little ground from the base of the original photograph.  The lighting was adjusted very slightly to bring out the Blue colouring. 

I added blue food colouring to the water to achieve these final results, leaving each flower in dye for various lengths of time, to give various densities of contrasting colours.  

My aim was to create an image with several implied horizontal lines, three can be seen and also three vertical lines, there are also several points in a deliberate shape.  Lines are created and stand out against the dark background, the edges of the petals are lighter against the background and create strong static horizontal lines. 

 

 

Vertical and Horizontal Lines, reworked and edited.

 

I prefer this edited image to the original submission, reducing the background makes for a more effective image. The vertical lines from the stems are also more upright, which gives a more balanced finished image.

 
 

Diagonals in elements of design

Fig 5.  
    f/11.0     1/4sec     ISO 250     105mm    AWB    
Manual mode         Tripod Utilised

Softly curving diagonal lines add beauty to this image.  The main diagonal lines leads the eye through the frame and is visually dynamic.  To add contrast to the line I have focused on the water droplet at the highest point.  

Curves in elements of design

Fig 6.   
  1/10 sec     f/3.0     60mm     ISO 200   AWB

Tripod utilised.    Manual mode

In this image I have concentrated on the group of short curved lines which are found close to one another, in this rose.  They form a pattern which commands attention.  They are a mass of dense lines and give weight to the main part of the image.  Similar lines are in the top third of the image are rendered out of focus, which adds visual balance. 

Utilising the lower left hand corner of the framing, there is an implied triangle seen. 

The implied curved line created between the two roses, suggest comfort and softness.  It therefore contributes to the mood of this photograph

Distinct if irregular shapes

Fig 7.      

 25/10 sec     f/10.0     20mm    ISO 200   AWB

Tripod Utilised      Manual mode

'Nature, Man and Flower '

My aim was to create a natural organic shape, free - form and ordered.  The shape was defined by colour and texture.

To achieve this image I used 10 - 20mm wide angle lens, and composed a tight vertical frame to draw the viewers eye to the whole composition.   I wished for the composition to be in focus throughout and this was achieved.  

The irregular shape is created from the placement of the basketwork and rose, creating two implied triangles, both lead the eye to the horizontal line that has been created by creating the circle with the foliage.

The three elements in this image are powerful, and create a strong design. The curved lines add grace to this composition.

Implied Triangle in elements of design (1)

Fig 8. 

0.63sec    f/10.0    20mm   ISO 200   AWB

Manual Mode    Wide Angle Lens

Tripod Utilised 

Again I wanted to create a free - form shape, which implied a geometric shape, the triangle.  The shape is communicated in a powerful way, and is easily recognised.  The components are organic and are typically representative of shapes found in nature.  

Implied Triangle in elements of design (2)

Fig 9.

1/500 sec    f/4.5     105mm     ISO 125    AWB

Tripod utilised.  Manual Mode.

'Desert Rose'

A square crop, was given to this image to create the balance that was required, and achieve stability in the image. The colour of the flower is very strong, and compliments the strength perceived by the implied triangle. 5 petals of the Desert rose create here at least three implied triangles. The implied triangle that is the strongest is the one where the apex is pointing to the right edge of the framing. 

Rhythm in elements of design

Fig 10.

f/4.0    1/80 sec    105mm     ISO 100    AWB

Tripod Utilised.  Manual Mode.

The image above was converted to a black and white image using Photoshop elements 8.  The dodge and burn layer was added, to enable me to to use the burn technique to render a very small part of one frond green.  My intention was to create an informal image with a touch of interest.

There is a visual beat to this image which is created by perspective and repetition of curved fronds, crossing in a diagonal fashion throughout create a visual pathway and motion within the frame.  The upper fronds of the plant are rendered out of focus  and appear to be moving, which they were not, this does suggest motion within the frame. 

This image comprises entirely of lines in a precise pattern, which are powerful.  Repetitive lines create the sense of rhythm and movement.

 

Pattern in elements of design

Fig  11.  

  2sec     f/18.0    ISO 250   105mm   AWB  

Manual mode.  Tripod Utilised. 

'Harmony'

An organic shape that clearly highlights pattern.  In our work book, page 77, it asks that we pay particular attention to distance from subject in such a way that we show no boundaries...I have gone against the advise and created an image that shows pattern.  I have chosen a circle, as it has no beginning and no end.  This composition has movement, the petals are curling upwards and downwards.  The petals create a sense of movement within the circle. The large number of petals massed together is a form of repetition, which creates a pattern.  This circle is graceful and feminine.  The framing of the flower plays an integral part in the composition.

My thoughts on this assignment and how I worked. 

• I found this assignment a challenge, but rewarding.  My final images that I have submitted convey the elements of design as I see them in floral art and floral studies.   
• Several other photographers I had studied were an inspiration for my final images. particularly in the photographs for 'combination of vertical and horizontal lines', diagonals and pattern.  
• Working in one location and indoors, I set up a location for my photography in my living room, using only natural light which comes through my huge window and only took photographs in the afternoon when sun was above the balcony. This presented  its challenges and was a learning experience.  It is impossible to photograph outside in 45 - 50 degrees of heat, along with an incredibly high humidity.  I used only my Nikon 7000d and concentrated on using two main lenses, 105mm macro and 60mm portrait lens, although I did use other lens in the still life.  My camera was mounted on the tripod at all times, and I used manual focus.  
• I used black board , white board  or a curtain to create the negative spaces that were required.
• It was imperative that I took photographs from all angles once set up, I learnt to look at flowers from new angles...creating lines and shapes from above, behind, below and head on.  
• I used manual mode on a large percentage of these photographs and that was challenging, but I wished to experiment with depth of field and shutter speed.  I have completed this assignment feeling more comfortable and understanding my camera far more than in Assignment 1. 
• I see an increased standard in the quality of my work,  taking more consideration when composing these images, Part 2 and studying elements of design has developed my understanding of how to consider various elements which eventually ceates a better photograph.

Several changes have been made to this Assignment, following the arrival of my tutor report. I have made the changes to the following elements.
Single point
Several points
Combination of vertical and Horizontal lines