A single figure small

By coincidence, the two photographs of Guildford Cathedral that I| took for Assignment 3 included small figures. In the following picture the individual is more prominent and provides a focal point for the image.
Nave at Evensong (from Assignment 3)
                    




















In the other photograph, the figures are less distinct:
Nave of Guildford Cathedral (from Assignment 3)In this case, the figures would only be noticed on a close examination of the photograph, maybe providing an element of surprise.
For this project, I have tried using this technique in a variety of locations during our trip from North Spain to Normandy, France.  
A quiet square in St Jean de Luz

          


Panasonic Lumix G3 at 21mm (equivalent to 42mm): Iso 160 f8 for 1/640th second
This small square is on a busy shopping street in St Jean de Luz, but the various benches and seats provide a place to sit and chat, or to rest. Viewed from a balcony, I was attracted to the pattern of shadows and sunlit areas in the late afternoon sun.
There are bright areas in the right foreground and centre of the frame but as these are empty of people, there is little for a viewer to focus on. The lady in the left background, as a consequence, becomes a point of visual interest. She is brightly lit against a dark shadow standing out relatively prominently and drawing the viewers eye into the scene. I watched her walk into the square from the right and waited until she reached the brightly lit area before clicking the shutter. I did not take a photo whilst she walked through the bright area in the centre of the frame, but I feel that this would probably have been less interesting compositionally. She would be quite central in the frame.
The few people sitting in the shadow underneath one of the trees add little to the composition of the picture even though they are larger.
Underground wine cellar, near Bordeaux






















Panasonic Lumix G3 at 14mm (equivalent to 28mm): Iso 3200 f4.5 for 1/15th second
We visited this cellar on a wine tasting tour with a group of other foreign visitors to Bordeaux. The overall light level was very low and I therefore needed to push the camera settings to the limit to get a reasonable snap shot of the place. Whilst the quality of the photo would be unsuitable for A4 printing, I thought it was worthwhile using this as an example of using small figures in a composition.
I feel that the sillhouetted figures in the background enhance the composition. A view of the barrels without the figures would be relatively uninteresting. Whilst the far wall is bright compared to the foreground, it would not draw the viewers eye as strongly as the sillhouettes of the figures. In addition the figures add a sense of scale.
If the figures were in the centre or foreground, the figures would, I expect, start to dominate the scene. The barrels would lose their prominence in the scene.
Collonade of the Grande Theatre, Bordeaux

Panasonic Lumix G3 at 14mm (equivalent to 28mm): Iso 200 f87.1 for 1/60th second
In this image, the figure of the seated women is the focal point of the image. She is framed in between two columns and her dark clothes stand out strongly against the skylight reflected from the surface of the street behind her. Whilst she is relatively small in size, the photograph is as much a photograph of her as the collonade. She appears to be isolated from the busy street in the distance, waiting for someone or something.
This impression created by this composition differs from the actual situation. There were in fact many people seated on the steps in front of the Grand Theatre, but I noted that she was alone, and that I could isolate her by choosing an appropriate viewpoint. The street in front of the Grand Theatre was generally busy with passing shoppers, frequent trams, tourists and so on. I waited until there was a momentary gap to show her sitting apparently alone. Whilst I had already taken a couple of photographs for this project, the idea was still in my mind and this prompted me to take this photograph rather than the view of the Grand Theatre as a building. The square in front to the Theatre seemed to be a popular meeting place and a place to gather with friends. The photograph concentrates on this, rather than the building as a venue for classical music and opera.
Conclusions
Like the examples shown in the course notes, a small figure can be used photographically as the main focal point of a picture, like the girl in sillhouette on the river side. In other situations, like the figure sillhouetted aginst the doors of a building, the small figure is just a visual element which may not be immediately noticed on first glance.
It has been interesting to find situations where a small figure features to a greater or lesser extent in a scene, but in one way or another contributes to the composition.
It is clear that the lighting of the figure is key. They must stand out as a bright spot or as a sillhouette against a contrasting background.
This can be useful to add vitality or depth to a scene or an area which otherwise lacks a point of visual focus.