Elements of Art for Creative Photo 1 and 2rinoartphs.weebly.com/uploads/9/0/3/5/9035144/... · family and friends and events that we want to remember. Elements & ... •Line •Shape

Elements of Art for Creative

Photo 1 and 2

What's the difference

between a snapshot and a

photograph?

All great photographs

contain at least one of 7

elements that great works of

art also contain.

Lunchtime atop a

Skyscraper

Charles C. Ebbets

1932

Migrant Mother

Dorothea Lange

1936

Gandhi at his spinning wheel

Margaret Bourke-White

1948

What makes an effective photograph?

Some professionals consider a

successful photograph one where you

achieve your intent in a thoughtful

skilled way.

Not all photographs live up to this

standard and yet they can be effective

too—they are commonly called snap

shots- quick photographs we take of

family and friends and events that we

want to remember.

Elements &

Principles of Art &

Design

The basic building

blocks

• Line

• Shape

• Form

• Space

• Value / Tone

• Texture

• Color

Lines

• They have the power to draw the eye to key focal

points in a shot and to impact the ‘feel’ of an image

greatly.

• Diagonal, Horizontal, Vertical and Converging

lines all impact images differently and should be

spotted while framing a shot and then utilized to

strengthen it.

Leading lines are used to draw the viewer’s eye through a

photograph.

They are intentional or unintentional, natural lines created in

the space of the photograph and are used to create a visual

narrative in the composition.

Leading lines are also used to draw your eye to a focal

point in the shot that you would like to highlight.

Do any of these photos

contain leading lines?

Any leading lines here?

Lines don't have to be straight, nor do

they have to vanish (like those seen in the

classic road or fence image).

Different kinds of lines convey different

emotions--straight, vertical lines like

those in a skyscraper convey power,

while curved lines like those found in the

path of a river are soothing.

Line is one of the most

important photographic

elements. Line draws the

viewer's eye into the image.

It gives a photograph a

sense of depth and distance

and a feeling of potential.

Shape & Form

(they're not the same thing)

Shape is basically the two-

dimensional version of form. When

you focus on shape, you are

primarily concerned with the

outline of your subject and its

two-dimensional qualities.

The subject itself doesn't have to

be two-dimensional, of course,

but its outline is typically more

important than its depth. .

Shapes in

Photos:

Can be GEOMETRIC (man-made) ex. Square, triangle, circle, etc.Can be ORGANIC (natural) ex. Leaves, humans, puddles, etc.Shapes are 2-Dimensional and flat. (circle)

Form• Forms are 3-Dimensional

with height, width and depth. (sphere)

• Used to create a sense of

space and substance.

Photographs are two dimensional, but skillful use of form will

make a photo appear to have depth even when it doesn't. Move

around the subject so that you get a better sense of it in three

dimensions, and shoot from different angles until you find the

one that best captures the object's form.

Landscapes are affected by the same quality of form, depending on the position of the

sun. The above image from Wayah Bald in North Carolina was taken in the middle of

the day with the sun directly overhead. There is very little form to the mountains

because of the lack of shadows.

This image of Cades Cove from

Gregory Bald in the Smokies

was taken late in the evening,

near sunset. With the sun near

the horizon, there are a huge

number of shadows, giving form

to the mountains valleys and

ridges.

• Is this picture an example of SHAPE or FORM?

• Be ready to be able to explain how each picture

you take is an example of a certain element.

Space

• Gives the photo a 3-dimensional feeling. (Depth)

•

• Foreground (closest), Middle ground, and Background (farthest).

• Can be open, crowded, near, far, etc.

Two types of space:

POSITIVE SPACE– the area the

objects/subject takes up.

NEGATIVE SPACE– the area around, under,

through and between all the objects.

• Space can be either

positive or negative.

• The area within a shape

can be referred to as

space, but in

photography we

generally think of the

negative version of

space.

• Negative space is the

area that surrounds a

shape or form.

There can be a fine line

between filling your

frame with your subject

and also giving your subject

space to breath.

Either technique can be

effective – so experiment

with moving in close and

personal and moving out to

capture a subject in its

context.

Sometimes it is what you

leave out of an image that

makes it special

Negative space

Positive Space

Sometimes positive and

negative space can work

together and create a an

interesting balance of

both types of space

• Space is also a useful tool

for creating drama; you

can use a small negative

space to make an object

appear towering or

overwhelming, or you can

use a large negative space

to make it seem smaller

than it actually is.

• For example, with careful

use of space an otherwise

large boat photographed

against a vast ocean can

be made to look

diminutive or even

vulnerable.

Value

Value (also known as

Tone):

Black and white photography is

completely dependent upon tone.

Tone is the various amounts of light

and dark in a photo. More contrast

means more tones. Color photographs

also have tone but have an extra

element of hues (colors

• Black and White and all

the Grays in between

• Dark to Light and vice

versa

• Can add drama and

impact to composition.

• Can give a sense of

timelessness

Value, or Tone, can be

visible in both B/W or

color photos.

Texture:

• The surface quality. Adds interest! Sense of sight and

sense of touch involved.

• How an object feels, or how it looks like it feels (Rough,

smooth, bumpy, gooey, sharp, etc.).

• For portraits, a textured background such as a worn, rustic barn

can make your subject stand out and give you an creative

background. Textured skin adds character to interesting people,

giving them a story.

• Texture in a macro shot can get really intriguing. When you get

REALLY close to a subject, large or small, you can see textures that

are not easily seen. These broken shells are all along the beach in the

Canaveral National Seashore in Florida. You can see every little line,

hole, and mark from years of these shells being washed up and down

the beach.

Color:Color is one of the

most powerful of

elements.

Color is one of the

best ways to create

mood in

photography!

• There are three (3) properties to color. – First is hue, which simply means the name we give to a PURE color of the

rainbow (red, yellow, blue, etc.).

– The second property is intensity, which refers to the strength and vividness

of the color. For example, we may describe the color blue as "royal"

(bright, rich, vibrant) or "dull" (grayed).

– The third and final property of color is its value, meaning its lightness or

darkness. The terms shade (darker) and tint (lighter) are in reference to value

changes in colors.

Theoretically all hues can be mixed from three basic

hues, known as Primaries- red, blue and yellow.

Combining primaries create Secondary colors: orange, green, and purple.

Color is often combined with another element to

make make the photo really pop. What other

elements help make this an artistic photo?

Visual Dictionary part 1

1. Using only National Geographic magazines, find a picture that

matches each one of the elements you just learned.

1. Each photo must be no smaller than half a page and no larger

than 1 full page.

2. Photos cannot be part of the cover or an advertisement ( no

words typed across the photo either).

3. Here is the list of photos you must find:

1. Line

2. Shape – both organic and geometric

3. Form

4. Space - both negative and positive

5. Value/Tone - both BW and color

6. Texture

7. color

The principles of design take the Elements of Art and organize

them in a single piece of art. While these apply to any media in

art, I will be using them specifically for photography.

Principles of design in

Photogrpahy

• The different arrangements – or compositions -

of the ELEMENTS of design to create artistic,

interesting, more visually powerful photographs.

• The principles of design take the Elements and

organize them in a single piece of art. While

these apply to any media in art, I will be using

them specifically for photography.

What are some Principles of

Photography?

• Emphasis

• Balance

• Perspective

• Contrast

• Movement

• Pattern/Repetition

• Unity

EMPHASIS or Focal Point

Emphasis in a composition refers

to developing points of interest to

pull the viewer's eye to important

parts of the body of the work.

EMPHASIS EXAMPLES

Pattern/Repetition

• An element that occurs over and over again

in a composition.

• Can repeat the element in a consistent

pattern.

• Can repeat the element in a variation of the

pattern.

Repetition Examples

Balance

Balance is a sense of stability in

the body of work. Balance can be

created by creating a feeling of

equal weight.

CONTRAST

Contrast refers to the opposites

and differences in the work. You

can achieve variety by using

different shapes, textures, colors

and values in your work.

CONTRAST Examples

Movement

Movement adds excitement to your work by

showing action and directing the viewers eye

throughout the picture plane. Rhythm is a type of

movement in drawing and painting. It is seen in

repeating of shapes and colors. Alternating lights

and darks also give a sense of rhythm.

Movement

Movement or

Contrast?

Perspective

Perspective in photography can be defined as the sense of depth

or spatial relationships between objects in the photo, along

with their dimensions with respect to the viewpoint (camera lens

or the viewer).

This includes their relative positions and sizes and the space

between them.

The angle from which an artist takes the photo

…likee lying on the ground, shooting up.

Perspective forces you to

see things from different

angles, heights and

distances. This type is

called FORCED

perspective.

UNITY in PhotographyDefinition of Unity in Photography:

Unity occurs when all of the elements of a piece combine to make a

balanced, harmonious, complete whole.

Unity is another of those hard-to-describe art terms but, when it's

present, your eye and brain are pleased to see it, aesthetically

speaking.

The idea behind the principle of unity is to create an image where all

elements support each other and all work together toward a

common goal.

Through unity, the elements of your image are not competing with

each other for attention.

Be creative with your subject

matter!!

Elements and Principles in

Photographic Composition

• The Elements and Principles are used in making photographs – not just taking photographs.

• You have to know and understand the elements and principles of art to see them all around you and capture them in your photos.

• Good luck!

Project 1: Part 1

Collecting examples of these elements and Principles

• You will have 2 class periods to complete this first

part of this project.

– Collect an example for each element and principle while

thumbing through National Geographic magazines.

– You will have a total of 8 elements and 6 principles

• The size of each photo must be as close to a full page as

possible. CANNOT be smaller than half a page. If it is, you

must mind 2 different example.

Once you collect all examples, write a caption for each photo.

Each caption must 1. explain what the photo is, and 2.

Explain what term it is an example for and why.

Example:

This picture was taken of these

meerkats in South Africa in 2010.

This is an example of texture

because I can see the details of

their coarse fur.

• Example 2: What is this an example of? Why?

• After finding examples of each term and

mounting them onto construction paper, be

sure that you have written our all your

captions.

• Once this is all done, we begin part 2……

Elements and Principles Part 2: Begin

shooting your own examples!

You will each be given 2 class periods to complete this portion of the

project.

Once I walk you through the basic parts of the camera, we will venture

outside to shoot pictures around campus. You must take 2 examples for

each term. Two different shots for line, two different shots of color, ect.