10- Composing an Object

Bring one object with some personality and try to have your item tell a story by placing it thoughtfully into a descriptive background. A story could also emerge based on the relationship to other objects and the space that they are in, distance etc. Experiment with placement, angles, distances to subject, framing etc. Try using BW film.

Black and White Film:
- Photograph your object with a variety of backgrounds.
- Bracket each photo 3x each photo, so you will have 3 photos of each of the set-ups.
- Develop the film.
- Make a contact sheet of your roll of film.
- 3 prints, each 3.5 x 5 showing the essence of your project and contrast filters (0, 90, 150).
- 1 final best print 5 x 7.

Each print will evaluated on the following:
- Composition.
- Creativity.
- Technical- focus, development, contrast
- Professionalism: no scratches, even borders, good contrast, image focused.

Self Evaluation: Based on the criteria, give yourself a mark out of 5 for how well you think you did (good quality negatives, professional prints, broken rules you tried, questions answered, images scanned and on blog).

Questions: Why did you choose this object ? How did you give it character/story?

9 Photographic Composition

Photographic Composition is way of organizing the visual information in an image.
3 things to consider when composing a photograph:

1. Subject- The most important part of a photograph is the subject. The subject or theme is "what the photo is about". It is the main topic. First choose your subject.
2. Emphasis- There are techniques that direct your viewer to the subject so the subject stands out and is more clear to the audience. 
3.  Simplicity- Make sure that all of the information in the photo (background/foreground) supports the subject.

Emphasis Techniques: Try one technique per photograph.

• Leading lines
• Rule of 3rds
• Repetition
• Framing
• Contrast

Blog Assignment: Find one example for each of the 5 Emphasis Techniques (can be your own) post to your blog and identify the technique (title) and define the technique and how it draws the attention to the subject (in your own words) one image per definition.

Photo Assignment: We are going to go out and shoot each emphasis technique separately. I may take a few days (it might take after school/weekend days to finish all five techniques). Make a contact sheet for each technique and post your best image to your blog with an explanation of how the image is a good example of the technique. Take approximately 15-30 photos for each technique. Make a contact sheet and post one of each technique.

BWPhoto Assignment: We are going to go try one of the emphasis techniques on BW film.

Here are some photos to show Emphasis Techniques:

Leading Lines

Rule of Thirds

Framing

Contrast

Repetition

Elements of Design: LINE

A line is:

• A mark that is longer than it is wide
• An infinite number of points
• The moving path of a point

Line is often referred to as “the most basic element of design”. Yet this simple element functions in complex ways. Used effectively, line expresses a variety of verbal and visual concepts. Line works either by itself or in conjunction with other lines to communicate messages and impact audience.

A line can have different qualities - it can be curved or straight, thin or thick, loose or precise, delicate or bold, expressive or controlled. The qualities of a line will evoke different feelings; a curved line feels natural and organic, while a straight line feels manmade and mechanical. A delicate line feels soft and feminine, while a bold line feels strong and masculine.

A horizontal line reminds us of a calm horizon or a person lying down; it implies quiet and rest. A vertical line makes us think of a skyscraper or a person standing straight and tall; it feels strong and aspiring. A vertical line contains potential for activity, and so creates a more energetic feeling than a horizontal line. A diagonal line is like a bolt of lightening or a person leaning forward poised to run; it suggests energy and movement. Diagonal lines are the most dynamic.

Not all lines are actual lines; sometimes we perceive lines that are not really there. Implied lines are created by a series of points, such as a dotted line or a group of people standing in a row. Psychic lines are not real at all, but are lines we feel; for example when a figure’s eyes are looking in a specific direction or when a line or shape is pointing at something.

Exercise #1 Line
Line Assignment:
Take 15+ digital photographs of the Element of Design- LINE. Look for all sorts of different types of line, straight, wiggly, craggy, weaving, diagonal, organic, geometric...
Download, edit and evaluate, save best to sharing folder.
Upload your best photo to your personal blog with definition of line and an explanation as why this image is a good example of line.
Create a contact sheet of 15-30(max) images to show your process. Save as a JPG and upload to your blog.
Examples and Characteristics of Lines