Surrey Photographic Association Exhibition 2010

I visited the exhibition on two occasions to take it all in. This displays about 200 prints selected from roughly 1000 entries. The photographs covered every sort of subject and style.

I was surprised to see a number which looked more like paintings than photographs. Almost all would appear to have benefitted from refinement using Photoshop or similar. I wonder if we will reach a stage where the real world becomes too drab in comparison to these glowing pictures.

The overall winner was a photograph of a girl in a third world country sitting at a desk in front of a stained school room wall. She is resting on her elbows and appears to be looking at someone or something to the right of the camera. It is a lovely photo, but amongst so many outstanding photographs, it is not clear to me why the judges picked this one as the winner.

Elements of design - Rhythm and pattern

I went to the RHS gardens at Wisley on a sunny day last week, partly as I hoped to find neatly planted rows of vegetables suitable as subjects for rhythm and pattern and partly to reconnoitre the gardens as a location for the second assignment.

The vegetable gardens were being dug up at the present time so I looked elsewhere for repetitive shapes that would be suitable subjects for this exercise.

The racks of seeds in the gardening shop caught my eye as a way to illustrate pattern in composition. Following the guidance in "The Photographer's Eye" I took photographs ranging from a large number of seed packets down to a relatively small number. For this subject, the photographs with fewer packets seemed less successful because the viewers attention was drawn to the writing and pictures on the individual packets. I therefore preferred the photograph with the large array of packets. The writing on the individual packets is small when viewed on screen. Consequently, the impact of the pattern is accentuated relative to the identity of the items.

Image 1: Seed packets

Lens 18-70 mm at 18mm: Iso 320 f8 at 1/160th

There is no dominant point of visual interest and the eye seems to wander up and down over the various packets, which are quite interesting.

I thought that photographing the packets from the front was rather flat and lacking in impact. I also experimented with taking the same array of packets from a low viewpoint to add some perspective and depth.

Image 2: Seed packets low viewpoint

Lens 18 - 70mm at 18mm: Iso 200 f5.6 at 1/500th

From this viewpoint, the fronts of the seed packets are catching the light from a skylight, and we see the dark shapes of the lower edges of the packets on the rack. The contrast makes the photograph stronger graphically than the photograph taken at normal eye-level. In addition, I believe that the viewer may not immediately grasp what they are looking at because of the unaccustomed viewpoint. This hopefully is slightly intriguing for the viewer. There is a regularity of the items in the frame, but the shapes and shadows are quite irregular in size and grouping. The shadows do not seem to coalesce into recognizable shapes. The effect is slightly reminiscent of some cubist art where there are shapes and shadows which appear to have depth, but they do not portray a coherent solid form.

As with image 1, I took some photographs with a smaller array of seed packets, but on subsequent review, I preferred the photograph with a wider array.

In addition, I looked back through the photographs that I have taken since the beginning of the year to identify anyones where I thought pattern played a significant role in creating the composition. There was one particular photo of fish on a counter in the market in Abu Dhabi. I selected this image as a "pick" in February soon after returning from that holiday in February. At that time, I did not identify what had made this photograph catch my eye.

Image 3: Hamour fish for sale

Lens 18 -70 mm at 27 mm: Iso 800 f7.1 at 1/20th

Although the viewers attention is drawn to the largest fish in the right foreground, there is a pattern of the shapes and the highlights that attract the viewer's eye upwards into the upper half of the image frame.

Unexpectedly, I had more difficulty in finding subjects in Wisley Gardens where visual rhythm contributed to the composition. Reviewing the photographs subsequently, it was this photograph of chestnut leaves that I felt best embodied this concept.

Image 4: Chestnut leaves

Lens 18 - 70mm at 70mm: Iso 800 f11 at 1/160th

The leaves were catching the sunlight with a background of a dark conifer. I hesitated initially about categorizing the leaves as representing a visual rhythm. However, having revisited this photograph over a number of days, I now see that the diagonal repetition of the branches and leaves which creates this sense of rhythm.

In addition, I again revisited my previous photos to see if there were others where this rhythm appeared to be in evidence. The photograph where rhythm seemed strongest is this:

Image 5: Laid up boats (flipped version)

Lens 18 - 70mm at 18mm: Iso 250 f16 at 1/125th

I commented on this photograph before in my blog on Elements of Design - Diagonals (April 14th 2010). The horizontal repetition of the laid up boats seems to create a visual rhythm, with the dark toned boat adding visual interest to the otherwise light colored line-up.

Elements of design - Implied triangles

These photographs of household ornaments were taken early in April before I attended the studio photography course last week. The setting and lighting of the objects is therefore quite basic.

Before starting this exercise I experimented photographing parsnips on the kitchen table using several different arrangements and shooting positions to create triangular shapes.

For the implied upside down triangle (apex at the bottom) I decided to photograph a group of medicine holders from Indonesia. I hoped that the carved designs and shapes would make an interesting subject in black and white. For the first photograph, I created a triangle using the different heights of the objects.

Image 1: Medicine holders with reflections

Lens 18 - 70mm at 50mm: Iso 125 f8 at 1/45th (on tripod)

I placed the smallest item in the front centre and the larger items spreading out to the side. This triangle is a rather irregular shape seen most clearly as the shape on the background wall in the upper part of the frame. The lighting was indirect sunlight from windows to the right of the subject and behind the camera. I used a low viewpoint as this picked up the reflections in the polished wooden surface.

For the second photograph, I placed the items in similar positions but took the photograph with the lens at wide angle from a higher viewpoint.

Image 2: Medicine holders with shadows

Lens 18 - 70mm at 18mm: Iso 125 f8 at 1/45th (on tripod)

The triangular placement of the items is accentuated from this viewpoint. The tonal range of the photograph was rather lifeless until I positioned a glass door to reflect sunlight across frame. The higher viewpoint and shadows enhance the feeling of depth which animates the picture compared to the first image.

Image 3: Tobacco pipes from Thailand

Lens 18 - 70mm at 70mm. Iso 125 f10 at 1/3rd (on tripod)

I used these pipes to create a triangular composition with the apex at the top. The window light is coming from the left hand side to catch the decorated metallic stems of the pipes and the ceramic bowls.

Wide angle was not used for these photographs as the minimum focussing distance was not close enough for the subjects to sufficiently fill the frame.

Whilst the triangular composition is ordered and uncluttered, in this case, I felt it was rather static and unbalanced. I therefore tried adding in another element in the top right.

Image 4: Tobacco pipes and bowl

Lens 18 - 70mm at 70mm. Iso 125 f10 at 1/2 (on tripod)

I prefer this picture as the eye can wander back and forth between the pipes and the bowl. The bowl is small and darker than the pipes but it acts as a counterweight to the ceramic bowls in the left half of the frame. The pipes continue to be the main point of interest for the viewer.

For the triangular composition of a group of people, I have used a photograph of my wife and two friends from Abu Dhabi that I took in February 2010.

Image 5: In a garden in Abu Dhabi

Lens 18 - 70mm at 38 mm: Iso 125 f4.5 at 1/100

The photograph was taken in the morning on sunny day as a record of our visit. The group is rather formal, arranged on an easy chair in a shady position in the garden. The light is diffused with soft shadows. The figures and heads form an acute triangle of points in the vertical frame.

I thought it would be interesting to compare this a photograph of the same group in a horizontal composition taken on the previous day:

Image 6: At the Dhow scrapyard

Lens 18 - 70mm at 34mm: Iso 100 f13 at 1/180th

Again this is a somewhat formal arrangement, but the sideways alignment of the shoulders adds some vitality to the composition.

I like both photos as records of our friends and I do not find it easy to decipher the visual effects of the different compositions, but I will try to make some comparison:

- In the horizontal composition, the eye seems to wander back and forth across the faces of the group. The linear grouping links strongly together and the eye does not seem to be attracted out of the sides of the frame. However, the reversal of movement at each end is slightly jarring.

- In the triangular composition, the eye seems to circulate around the three faces which again link strongly together. This circular motion seems to make the composition harmonious and less jarring. Looked at in another way, the eye seems to examine the upper face separately from the lower pair of faces. This movement of the eye up and down seems to introduce dynamic interest which is not present in the linear composition.

Elements of design - Real triangles

Having completed my notes on the studio workshop, I now revert to the photographs I took whilst on holiday in Normandy, France at the beginning of April 2010. I went to the weekly street market in the local town to look for some suitable subjects for the exercise on real triangles. For these notes, I have selected three images of triangular subjects as well as two photographs illustrating the use of perspective to create triangular shapes.

The first photographs I took were of a pair of horses in a field on the way to the market.

Image 1: Two horses

Lens 18 - 70mm at 70mm: Iso 100 f8 at 1/90th

I took several photographs of the horses as they moved around in the field. I chose this photograph as the horses stood close together at an acute angle creating a triangle. I was quite a distance away and needed to crop the photograph quite significantly. In addition to this picture, I also tried a larger crop which included the bodies of both horses. The horses' bodies also formed a triangular shape but the legs and shadows complicated the composition, and I prefer this cleaner composition.

Image 2: Dress display

Lens 18 - 70mm at 18mm: Iso 100 f8 at 1/250th

These dresses were displayed around the rectangular top of a clothes stall. The triangle of the dresses is the dominant visual element. In this wide angle view, however, I note that there is a pattern of three nested triangles. At the bottom of the frame is a triangle formed by the corner of the stall, then there is the negative space of the sky in the same alignment. Finally, the uppermost triangle is the dresses themselves. In contrast to the main subject, there is also an inverted triangle formed by the poles on which the dresses are hung and there are the small but bright triangular flags pointing out of the frame. I think the complex composition in this case works reasonably well probably because the nested triangles reinforce the main visual element.

Image 3: Shirt rack

Lens 18 - 70mm at 50mm: Iso 100 f8 at 1/180th

This photograph of shirts in descending sizes is a much simpler composition. I chose this framing when I took the photograph placing the vertical line of the rack close to the edge of the frame so that only the left hand side of the shirts is included. The impact is created by the pattern of the same style of shirt in descending sizes. I doubt whether the picture would have the same impact if there were mixed shirts on the rack.

Image 4: Cattle pen

Lens 18 - 70 mm at 18mm: Iso 100 f8 at 1/180th

I placed the camera on the ground at its widest setting pointing upwards with the aim of accentuating the receding perspective lines. I took a number of photographs by trial and error, some included the whole gate and others just a part. I preferred this composition showing the gate as a whole as the partial photographs were too abstract. In this photograph, the viewer can see the whole form of the metal framework as well as appreciate its solid construction. The symmetry of the composition is compatible with this sense of strength.

The triangular shape makes the gates stand out towards the viewer. A photograph from a normal viewpoint would have relatively little impact.

Image 5: Rack of leggings

Lens 18 - 70mm at 18mm: Iso 100 f8 at 1/180th

I worked out that a way to make an inverted triangle using perspective was to find a subject which could be photographed from above, so that the most distant point of the subject was at the bottom of the frame. Whilst in the street market, I took a number of photographs of these colored leggings hanging from a low stand at a clothing stall at the widest angle setting of the lens. It took some trial and error to find a position that really accentuated the perspective without unnecessary background. In fact, I cropped the photograph significantly to exclude most of the hangers above and the tarmac below to produce this abstract result. The receding perspective gives the image some vitality and the textures and tones invite the eye to explore the the picture.

Studio Photography Workshop - Part 5

In the final session of the workshop, the students worked together using Nikon D300 equipment on two scenarios: to photograph a pair of roses under contre-jour lighting and to photograph a single rose lit to highlight its form.

We set up the sets for these subjects from scratch following the methods described above.

For the roses, we used a single fill light to light up the centre of the flower as well as a reflector to bring some vitality to the leaves. The resulting image was as follows.

Image 1: Roses backlit with fill light and reflector

We also tried spritzing the flowers and leaves with the following result.

Image 2: Roses after spritzing

I do not think that the spritzer significantly improves the end result, so I would choose image 1.

Image 3: Rose with lighting to show form

The single rose was lit with a main light from right side and a fill light from behind the camera. I quite like the delicate color of the petals of this flower. Unfortunately, there are some brown spots appearing in the creases of the petals which detract from the image. This illustrates Richard's tip that it is essential to have a subject in perfect condition without blemishes.

Studio Photography Workshop - Part 4

We dismantled the previous set before moving on to Session 4, a group exercise to photograph the form of an object. Richard had obtained some polystyrene wig stands as the subject.

Wig stands waiting patiently

The key point of the set up in this exercise was to light the background independently of the lighting on the subject.

We used the same white backdrop as in the previous scene. As before, this was lit by two pairs of flash lamps pointing across the screen to just illuminate the opposite edge. They were moved further back from the screen to spread the light wider.

The polystyrene head was fixed to a stand and positioned a good distance in front of the backdrop. The camera and tripod with a longer focal length lens were placed to frame the head reasonably closely.

With live-view switched on, Richard showed where on the backdrop the frame edges reached. This was a far larger area of the backdrop than with the earlier contre-jour photograph. This area of the backdrop was examined to ensure that this was evenly illuminated.

The next stage was to set up the main lighting. A mains flash with a soft box was fitted on a stand a few feet higher than the subject. With the background switched off, photographs were taken with this main light in different positions, side right, back right, behind camera, back left, side left etc. These photographs were reviewed to select the best position for the main light. In this case, the lamp was placed on the right side.

With the background lights activated, photographs were taken and the power of the main light and background lights were adjusted to balance the brightness of the subject and background. The image of the subject was examined in detail in live view. Around the sides and top of the head, we could see that some stray light from the background was reaching the subject. Large black screens were placed on each side behind the subject to block out any light from the background other than that immediately behind the subject. A black velvet cloth was also draped across the screens above the subject for the same reason. Other screens were placed to prevent any light from the background lighting reaching the camera.

View of set up: main light only stage

Smaller black screens were also placed to each side of the lens with a black velvet cloth between them to minimize flare.

The next stage was to consider fill lighting. Richard suggested placing a fill light behind and above the camera. As before the other lights were switched off so that the effect of this additional light was determined. As Richard demonstrated, this spread the tones modeling the form of the head in a much more subtle way.

Richard suggested that it might be worth using a reflector to lighten up the shadows under the nose and chin of the subject. A white reflector placed below the subject did soften these shadows.

Where the subject is a person, a hair highlight lamp is normally added. The lamp on a gantry was placed above and just behind the subject pointing to the top of the head. As before, the other lamps were extinguished whilst the power and effect of this lamp was adjusted.

Richard explained that this set up could now be used for a live model, and the head of one of the group was photographed in the same position as the model head. He explained that in a professional portrait or fashion shoot, the photographer would build the set and adjust the light levels well before the time for the shoot. A few initial photographs would be taken as soon as the model arrived. Whilst the model was changing and preparing (makeup, hair etc), the photographer would use the initial photographs to fine tune the settings. As a result, the photographer could start straight away with minimum final adjustments. During the shoot, an assistant would often be used to move the hair highlights and reflectors to follow the movements of the model from pose to pose.

Studio Photography Workshop - Part 3

Session 3 was a group session to take a photograph using contre-jour lighting. Richard provided some lilies as the subject.

A large sheet of white backing was set up in the studio, and we set up two pairs of studio flash lamps with standard reflector bowls and placed these on stands either side pointing to the opposite sides of the backdrop. The symmetry was checked by standing in front of the backdrop looking forwards. The screen was also inspected to make sure that the illumination was even. The camera flash link was attached to the power unit of one of the lamps. All the lamps were switched to "cell - on" to synchronize the flash units to fire simultaneously.

Checking the position of the lamps

The lamp power was set in the centre of the range. The white backdrop creates an even backlight for the subject as well as acting as the background.

A table was placed in front of the backing and a few of the lilies were arranged on stands on the table.

The Linhof camera and tripod was set in front of the table pointing horizontally towards the screen positioned so that the lilies filled the frame. The camera was levelled and all movements set to zero as before. The white balance was set using the backdrop. The lens was focussed on some stamens in the middle of the flowers. The aperture was set to f22 and the flash power was adjusted until the exposure was appropriate for the back lit petals. We placed black screens on stands on either side of the lens and a black velvet cloth above the lens to minimize flare.

We checked the sharpness of the edges of the subject using liveview on the tethered laptop. The aperture was reduced until the sharpness was acceptable.

Richard suggested that a fill light from over the camera was necessary to illuminate the interiors of the flowers and some of the leaves. We moved a flash lamp and reflector a few feet over the camera facing towards the flowers. The backdrop lights were turned off and we photographed the flowers with just the fill light. Initially the light was too bright even on minimum power. The illumination was reduced and the light softened by clipping a neutral density filter cloth in front of the lamp.

The backdrop lights were turned on again and a photo taken to check the combined effect. Richard felt that some of the leaves under the flowers were a little dull. We therefore tried setting up a flash lamp pointing from up from one side towards the leaves. The same process was used of switching off the other lighting to adjust and control the effect of this second fill light.

Finally, there was a discussion whether to add another leaf under the flowers in order to break up an area of white background. Various positions were tried.

We reviewed a selection of the final images to choose which one was best.

Overview of contre-jour studio set up

Studio Photography Workshop - Part 2

I teamed up with John Duncan and Anne Dembowski to photograph the crushed takeaway container using a Nikon D300 camera fitted with an 18 - 70 mm lens.

The subject was again raised up on a small block resting on a black velvet cloth on a table top. The mains flash lamp was 45 degrees downwards pointing towards the camera position, with a honeycomb and tracing paper diffuser. The flash power was set at central position in the range.

The Nikon was fixed to the tripod and moved into position at the other end of the table pointing downwards to the subject. The level was checked with a spirit level. The white balance was set to flash. In manual mode, the speed was set to 1/50th and the aperture set at f16.

The test photograph was overexposed. The aperture was reduced in steps to f22 and f29 but the highlights were still blown out. The flash power was turned to minimum, but the subject was still too bright. Richard advised us to place a neutral density filter cloth on top of the diffuser frame and this brought the light and dark areas reasonably into balance.

Note: the metadata shows that the Iso was set at 250. If we had reduced this to 100, we would not have needed the neutral density filter cloth.

We magnified the image in liveview to check the sharpness at the front and back of the subject. We had placed the subject sideways in the frame as we knew that depth of field was going to be limited. Fortunately, the edges of the subject were acceptably sharp in this position.

Image 1: Single light

Lens 18 - 70 mm at 56mm: Iso 250 f29 at 1/50th

Having established an initial exposure, we went on to refine the lighting. We noted several dark areas in the subject in particular the front right hand side of the metal foil.

A silver matter reflector was placed in various positions to light up these areas and took a series of photograph to judge the effects. We fixed the reflector in a clamp in the best position There were still some prominent shadows on top of the foil subject. Richard suggested that we use another lamp to fill in this shadow.

The lamp with a honeycomb was placed by the side of the camera pointing down at the foil on the table. The main lamp was switched off and a photograph taken using the additional lamp only. Note: this is important to see exactly what the additional lighting is doing.

The lamp was too bright at the initial setting, so the power was reduced in steps. The main lamp was switched on again and a photograph taken with both lamps and reflector.

Image 2: Main light, fill lamp and silver matt reflector

We experimented using similar technique with some squashed drinks cans and some keys.

Image 3: Coke can with spritzer

Lens 18 - 70mm at 70mm: Iso 250 at f29 at 1/50th

Image 4: Pepsi can

Lens 18 - 70mm at 70mm: Iso 250 at f29 at 1/50th

The bunch of keys provided plenty of opportunity to use multiple reflectors. However, there were too many elements in the subject to create an effective composition.

Studio Photography Workshop - Introduction

Last week, I attended a two day studio photography workshop at City and Islington College which was suggested for Art of Photography students. Richard Maxted a professional photographer led the course. His web gallery of photos includes stunning graphic images of everyday objects as well as a range of commercial advertising images for major corporations: British Airways etc.

The six participants of the course were all OCA students.

The course program was as follows:

Session 1: Group session: a shiny subject

Session 2: Team session: shiny objects

Session 3: Group session: contre-jour lighting

Session 4: Group session: lighting of form

Session 5: Team session: contre-jour lighting and form

In the group sessions, Richard used a large format Linhof tilt and shift camera with a Leaf digital back shooting tethered to a laptop. He directed the team on how to set up and operate the camera, how to set up the set and control the lighting and other equipment.

In the team sessions, three students worked together to use the techniques demonstrated earlier to photograph similar subjects using Nikon D300 SLR cameras.

Session 1: Group session - crushed take-away container

Linhof large format camera with Leaf digital back tethered to laptop was already in place.

Lens had levers/rings to adjust aperture, speed, liveview, cocking lever and cable release. Exposure is manual.

Focussing is adjusted by moving the bellows forward and back by rotating and locking focussing knob. Further knobs move the front plate and back plate to the side and up and down.

Adjust all knobs to zero position before taking first photograph. Use spirit level to level the camera on the tripod.

Lens points down at 45% to table. Mains flash lamp located on gantry at 45% opposite the camera. A frame covered with tracing paper was placed below the lamp.

Richard placed standard grey card on the table, and took a photo so that the Leaf software could adjust the white balance.

Richard placed the subject on two wooden blocks on a table covered with black velvet. Tips: the subject has to be perfect physically. Any imperfections will weaken photo. Lift up on block or spike. This creates a shadow around the subject and also permits fill light from below.

The light cast hard shadows on the wrinkled surface. In order to soften this, a honeycomb was placed in the lamp holder.

Set aperture to f16 (centre of aperture range) and take picture. If overexposed reduce power of flash - not aperture or speed of lens.

Photograph of set up before subject introduced

Once light balance between highlights and shadows is OK, reduce aperture to f22 and adjust flash to compensate.

Use a reflector to fill in lighting on edges or reduce shadows. White board gives soft lighting, silver matt for medium and silver mirror board for hard lighting. Use stands to hold reflectors in place.

Zooming in on the front and back edges on the laptop screen showed that these were not sharp enough. Richard suggested using a small piece of print cut out from a magazine to check the sharpness of at the front and back of the subject. With this type of camera depth of field can be obtained by adjusting the angle of the front and back plates. According to Scheinflug Law, the depth of field is optimized if the hypothetical lines through the front and back plates intersect a horizontal line through the subject.

The surface of the subject can be modified using a spritzer of glycerine mixed with some water to produce a "water droplet" appearance. There are also matt sprays which dull the surface.

Tip: Keep lighting arrangements as simple as possible.

Elements of design - Lines in composition

The first part of the exercise is to look for the implied composition lines in two pictures given in the notes.

- In the picture of a matador, the matador's body conceals the bulls head. He holds a sword draped with a red cape in each hand. The continuations of the lines of the two capes point to the position of the unseen bulls head. The bulls head is "understood" by the viewer rather than seen. In effect, the composition leads the viewer to imagine the bulls head.

- In the picture of the man with two horses, the angles of the horses heads suggest that they are looking over their shoulders to watch the man who holds the reins behind them. There are therefore implied eye lines back to the man integrating the group of figures. In addition, there seems to me to be an implied semi-circle shape linking the man's body with its bowed shoulders and the curve of the twisting bodies of the horses.

The second part of the exercise is to look for photographic situations which illustrate the use of implied lines.

Image 1: Lady on the steps

Lens 18 to 70 mm at 52 mm. Iso 100 f8 at 1/160th

I noticed this lady resting after walking up the hill in these gardens in Bagnoles de L'Orne in Normandy. She is sitting at the apex of two lines of steps up the slope of the garden. I walked to a position where these came into reasonable alignment, which point the eye to her position even though she is small in the frame.

Image 2: Cow and calf

Lens 18 to 70 mm at 18mm. Iso 320 at f6.3 1/180th

I envisaged two potential subjects where I hoped to use eye-lines in composition.

- I visited local markets on three occasions looking for a suitable interaction between shoppers and market traders without success.

- There were also many fields of cows with calves close to where we were staying in Normandy. In this particular field, the cattle would move towards the edge of the field as the sun was going down. I went there several evenings but this was the closest I got to catching one animal glancing at another one.

I think this illustrates that I understand the principle even though the eye-line is not such a strong element in this particular photograph.

Elements of design - curves

I took the photographs for this exercise whilst on holiday in Normandy, France in early April 2010. It was difficult to find subjects where the composition utilised curved lines as effectively as the examples given in the notes.

Image 1: Fountain on roundabout

Lens 18-70mm at 18mm: Iso 100 f22 at 1/40th

I identified water fountains as a potential subject for this exercise. I took photographs of this fountain in Bagnoles de L'Orne from various viewpoints. I selected this symmetrical wide angle view as the one with the most impact.

Image 2: Playground swing

Lens 18-70 mm at 18mm: Iso 100 at f8 at 1/250th

These curbed arms are the hand holds on an unusual swing in a childrens' playground. I placed the camera on its back close to the base of these posts with the lens set at wide angle pointing upwards. I chose this photograph of several taken from different positions as this was the only one where the arms are complete!

Image 3: Fountain in the wind

Lens 18 - 70mm at 62mm: Iso 100 at f8 at 1/250th

The water in this fountain was being blown sideways by a strong wind. I found a position where the water was silhouetted against the dark trees to reveal the curved shapes. The fountain is nearer to the central position of the frame than I wanted, but this was the only position where the fountain stood out against a dark background. This seems the least satisfactory composition of this group. There seems to be no synergy between the vertical parabola of the fountain and the circular edge of the pool which is horizontal.

Image 4: Shallow pool

Lens 18-70 mm at 18mm: Iso 100 f7.1 at 1/90th

The bright green grasses around the edge of this shallow flooded area in a town park attracted my attention. I selected "infrared" preset to convert the colour photograph to black and white as this made the curving grass area stand out, and also accentuated the dark reflection of the large dome shaped bush at the end of the pool. I liked the way the base of the bush and its shadow in the pool form a rough circle which seems to intersect with the circular shape of the pool.

Elements of design - diagonals

I came across a number of subjects with diagonal lines whilst at Chichester Harbour a few weeks ago. I selected two of these pictures to include in this exercise.

Image 1: Laid up boats

Lens 18-70 mm at 18mm. Iso 250 f16 at 1/125th

The yachts were laid up on the quayside for the winter. I took this photograph from the beach below at wide angle. The repeated diagonals of the bows and masts result in a relatively static composition. I think that monotony is avoided by the upward angles of the bows and the single dark coloured hull mixed in with the light coloured ones.

In the original colour image, the red underwater parts of the hulls distract attention away from the bows and the single dark hull is far less noticeable. The undersides of the hulls are just mid-grey in the black and white version and they have lost their prominence.

I tried flipping this image horizontally so that the bows point to the right instead of the left. For some reason I prefer the right pointing version, although I am not sure if this is a general phenomena.

Image 2: Posts and shadows

Lens 18 - 70 mm at 38mm: Iso 250 f16 at 1/160th

The winter sunlight was casting long shadows in the afternoon light as well as revealing texture in the mud and water. The shadows were placed in a diagonal in the frame by choosing a viewpoint slightly to the side. I took several photos of this subject, but this one seemed the most interesting first as it included a narrow strip of seawater along the bottom of the frame and second because a seagull was standing on the right hand post. I thought about cropping out all or part of the vertical posts so that the shadows were more prominent in the frame. However, this also accentuated the dark horizontal base of the posts so I reverted to the square frame shown above.

The third photograph was taken in the gardens of Polesden Lacey, a National Trust property in Surrey.

Image 3: Cold frames

Lens 18-70mm at 60 mm: Iso 250 f8 at 1/640th

This is another photograph that I took whilst hunting for subjects for the previous exercise. The diagonal lines are not far from the horizontal. This seems to accentuate a calmness in keeping with the atmosphere of a walled garden.

I took the next photograph on a walk around Windsor Great Park.

Image 3: Statue of George III

Lens 18-70mm at 18mm: Iso 100 f8 at 1/250th

The upwards diagonal from the base of the podium reaching to the outstretched hand of the statue was accentuated by perspective. I took the photograph with the camera on the ground at wide angle, moving forward until the subject filled most of the frame. I chose a viewpoint into the sun from the shadow of the statue so that the statue is in silhouette.

The high contrast and sharp angle of the diagonal line work to make a lively strong image.

Images 4 and 5: Overhead power line

Lens 18 - 70mm at 18mm: Iso 250 f8 at 1/100th

I included these two photographs as they seem to illustrate the effect of the angle between the diagonal lines. The first image appears more lively as a result of the sharp angle between and pole and the power lines. The second image appears more placid and staid where the angle is more obtuse and the power lines stretch across the frame at a much shallower angle.

The final image I have included for this exercise was taken in the Normandy countryside.

Image 6: Old farm gate

Lens 18-70 mm at 18mm. Iso 250 f8 at 1/400th

The top of the gate structure is upwards sloping as the left hand end is damaged and the right hand end has the large counterweight. This photograph was taken from inside the field with the camera on the ground to accentuate the diagonal using horizontal perspective. The low viewpoint also excluded from the frame the tarmac road that is just through the gateway. There are overhead powerlines in the upper left side of the frame. I chose to retain these on the basis that they are consistent with the diagonal composition.