Taylor Swift/Vance Joy Concert

Frame and Composition Blog 4

Balance and Visual Weight 

Balance is an essential piece of every photograph.

Taken by: Julie Waterhouse

Even though the subjects in this photograph are in the distance and to the bottom left corner, there is still a stable and consistent balance throughout the composition. The horses are a dull brown, and do not jump out too much against the misty gray background and swampish green grass; but are vibrant enough to be noticed. 

Taken by: Julie Waterhouse

This image is very unlike its counterpart. The flowers are very vibrant against the darker background, creating an overall distracting visual effect. This, therefore, is an example of a photograph that has a very poor visual balance and unlike the image above, is not very appealing to the viewer. 

Taken by: Calista Gonzales

This image is balanced because the subjects are not bright enough to be disorientating and the background matches smoothly with the composition of the subjects. The subjects fill the frame instead of being in only one part of the frame. 

Taken by: Calista Gonzales

This image has a good visual balance. Though the subjects are to the side of the frame, the background is not to bright or distracting and it is clear where the subject is and what they are doing. The composition is smooth throughout the photograph as well.

Taken by: Calista Gonzales

This photograph is a good example of a visual balance. Even though the composition was taken in a concert setting, the subject is still clear against the dark background, but is not bright enough where it is distracting or hides some of the details. 

Taken by: Calista Gonzales

This picture has slightly different characteristics as the rest of them. The image is brighter and the composition is lighter. The background is lighter, witch matches with the lightness of the rest of the image. This photograph also displays a well preformed example of a visual balance.

-Calista

Frame and Composition Blog 3

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds states that a photograph should be divided into nine squares of equal sizes with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. At one of the intersecting points should be the subject.

Taken by: Jim Zuckerman

This composition is a very successful and well-defined example of rule of thirds. The subject of the photograph, witch in this case is the cheetah, is aligned in an intersecting points of the vertical and horizontal lines. The photographer made the image more interesting and appealing to the eye by not positioning the animal in the center of the image, rather on the side. 

Taken by: Kathryn Schauer

This is another example of rule of thirds. Unlike the above picture, the graph is not visually represented on the photograph, but if applied it would be come clear that the subject, witch in this case is a do, is at one of the intersecting points of the lines. 

Taken by: Nick

Taken by: LaForge Photograp

This image is a very poor example of rule of thirds. Instead of lining the subject, which in this case is the surf board, up with one of the intersecting points of the grid, the photographer centered the subject, witch overall is not very interesting or appealing to the eye. 



This image is also a poor example of rule of thirds. The photographer, much like the above photo, centered the image rather than placing it of to the left or right, which would have made the composition more interesting as a whole.






Rule of thirds, overall, is something to consider when taking photographs. In some cases it may not matter, but in others it could mean the difference between a well-taken photo to a breath taking one.

-Calista  

More Portraits!

It is important to remember that you need to focus more on your subject than the background; a shallow depth of field generally helps the viewers focus on one main point. 

Frame & Composition: Blog 2

"To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer's craft. His central problem is a simple one: what shall he include, what shall he reject? The line of decision between in and out is the picture's edge. While the draughtsman starts the middle of the street, the photographer starts with the frame. The photograph's edge defines content. It isolates unexpected juxtapositions. By surrounding two facts, it creates a relationship. The edge of the photograph dissects familiar forms, and shows their unfamiliar fragment. It creates the shapes that surround the objects. The photographer edits the meanings and the patterns of the world through an imaginary frame. This frame is the beginning of his picture's geometry. It is to the photograph as the cushion is to the billiard table." John Szarkowski 

Questions to consider...

Q. What does John Szarkowski mean when he says that photographers are quoting 'out of context' when they make photographic pictures?

A. When John Szarkowski states that photographers are quoting out of context, he means that they are taking an image and/or situation and applying their own contextual ideas or thoughts to the piece in the way it represented. 

Q. The frame often 'dissects familiar forms'. At the end of the last century photography was having a major impact on Art. Impressionist artists such as Degas were influenced by what they saw. Look at these example of Degas work, which clearly shows the influence of photography and explains why the public might have been shocked to see such paintings. 

A. The public may have been shocked to see such paintings because of the strong influence that photos gave in reference to the actual image that was captured inside the painting. 

Taken by: Calista Gonzales

Macro Photography

Taken by: Calista Gonzales

Macro photography is very useful if you are looking to make the subject into a stronger focal point. The usual goal of a photograph  that is taken using a Macro lens or setting, is to make the subject appear clear and detailed while the background appears fuzzy. 
This picture of two bear cubs is a representation of Marco photography. I zoomed in closer on my subjects to make them appear not only closer, but be able to capture them in a clearer detail. 

Taken by: Calista Gonzales

In this picture of a rose, I used the Macro setting and got very very close to the subject. The lens was nearly touching the flower when I took the shot, but I still managed to make the background appear very blurry and the petals of the flower to remain vibrant and clear in detail. 

Ansel Adams

"When the world becomes unclear, I shall focus with photographs.  When images become inadequate I shall be content with silence." ~Ansel Adams 

Fram and Composition: Activity 1

Filling the frame 

 The photographer that took both of these pictures found a simple background in order to keep the focus on the subjects; rather than the whole image. 

Yellow Summer Taken by Nadin

In the first image, the photographer used a shallow depth of field in order to focus in on the coupe. She also picked a very simple background (a meadow and a blue sky) in order to not distract her audience by anything that is busy. The subjects stand out more because the background is light while both hair and clothing choice is dark.

Russian Winter_5 Taken by Nadin

For this Russian Winter picture, the photographer again blurs out the background in order to ensure that the focal point is the subject. Instead of taking it from a slight distance, as she did in the above picture, she fills the photograph with the subject's face, making it nearly impossible for something else to be the focal point of the image. The subjects face and clothing is in sharp detail while the things around it are out of focus.

This skill is very useful when you want to make sure that the subject of your photograph is clear, and there is no possibility of it being something else. In my own opinion, it also looks nicer and more appealing to the eye. Not only is the subject taking up a majority of the image, the background is blurred to a point where you can only concentrate on one thing. There is no busy work in the background to distract your eye, and it is simple enough to be nice but complicated enough to be intriguing. 

Portraits

Taken by: Calista Gonzales

One of my favorite things to do as a photographer is portraits. This is a shot that i took in Chandler, Arizona at the Desert Breeze Park.