week 1 pt 3

Placing the elements inside the frame
Yesterday i took some photos of the lake
I wanted to capture the beautiful color gradients in the sky, the softly rippling dark water and the thin line of the horizon
Here are some of the different ways i framed the same scene

1: a strip of grass, a strip of water, the sky takes up most of the image
2: only water and sky, the water takes up more space (about 1/3)

3: a bit of coast on the left breaks the symmetry of the horizontal lines

4: here the horizontal tranquility is invaded more dramatically from the right side, also by a diagonal line of light in the sky

5: for this photo i changed my perspective by tilting my iPhone down to the water, thereby decreasing the amount of space taken up by the sky to 1/3
i also waited until the rowing boat had progressed to the right spot (also 1/3)
the dark shades of the water and the ripples become more prominent and the color spectrum within the image changes dramatically
the rule of thirds is also visible in the division of colors and shades, from the almost black water in the lower part, to the lighter gradients in the middle, to the almost white sky in the upper part of the image
i think this is probably why i prefer this image above the others, even if the dramatic pink shades just above the horizon seem a bit more washed out here

week 1 pt 2

Considering the entire frame and seeing the bigger picture

Some months ago i went to an exhibition of Julian Schnabel's polaroids
I also bought his book because i was really impressed by some of his images
Here are two of my favorites



* i like the geometry in this image: the perpendicular triangle of the chimney and the floor, the parallel lines of the mantelpiece on the left, leading me out of the frame, the black and white tile squares, the straight white line leading me from the center of the image to the right, out of the frame through the letters  

* i like the contrast between the straight lines & stark monochrome shades and the curves and subtle shadows of the painting and the mantelpiece on the left

* i like it that there is so much to see in this image, and that somehow it all seems to coagulate into an organic whole

* i like the surreal perspective in this image, with the chairs and tables being dwarfed by the walls, the painting and the big white letters

* i simply love the triangle of billiard balls in the foreground!

* i like the way everything is centered and ordered symmetrically, the big painting in the middle between the two windows, the four chairs lined up along the wall
* i like the way everything is contained within the frame, almost nothing leads out of or away from the frame
* i like the contrast between the horizontal lines of the wood and in the picture, and the vertical rectangle format of the photo
* this image also has an interesting surreal perspective, the seating figure almost disappears under the ' weight' of the looming face in the painting
* there is also a tension between straight horizontal and triangular lines and the curves in the painting, the bedspread, the seated figure and the chandelier, but the curves are rather rigidly contained within the center of the frame 

week 1

Considering the entire frame and seeing the bigger picture

Composition is about the arrangement of visual elements within the frame.

With this in mind, we are invited to look at images we like and describe why we like them

I chose the cover of a magazine i received yesterday.

What i like about this image

* i like the repetition of the girl reading the magazine in the magazine she is reading
* i like that she is holding up the magazine so that the main text is readable, it says: help, i am super intelligent
* i like the contrast between the soft girlish toys on the sides of the frame and the nintendo and book close to her  side
* i like the way her body is centered inside the photo-frame and her leg is stretched out toward the left bottom corner
* i like the way there is a triangle of roof visible in the top left corner and the way it relates to the triangle she makes with her right leg
* i like the color-spectrum with its soft and subdued (girlish) tones and then the deep pink of the sheet in the right bottom corner