Title: Curves
Source/Photographer:
Alberto Oviedo
The use of architecture as a backdrop to fashion is a powerful combination that relies on the use of bold shape and form to accentuate or emphasize the model’s pose. The curved sweep of the building’s roof in this image counteracts the otherwise right-angled nature of the background and provides a strong shape that draws in the eye towards the standing figure.
A curved line can indicate something soft or subtle.
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Line
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U268651_BCP Design Principles 175# WPA(N) 06.08.2010 2
Intersecting lines
When one line crosses another, the lines are said to intersect each other – they pass through or cross over each other’s path.
Photographers can place subjects at the points of intersection to maximize subject impact and emphasis.
Converging lines
Lines that meet at a point in the far distance are said to converge. Stand on a railway line and look into the distance – you will see both sides of the track appearing to merge into one. In photography, converging lines can represent distance, scale, height and power. If a subject is placed at the point where lines converge, powerful compositions can be made.
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Line | Shape or form ◊
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Title: Dune protection, Winterton-on-Sea Source/Photographer:
Jeremy Webb
Converging lines often meet at a point outside the frame. By deliberately framing your image in such a way, converging lines often emphasize depth and distance as they travel through the image.
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Shape or form is often the end result of boundaries created by lines. In photography, three-dimensionality is reduced to two-dimensionality and so the use of design awareness to maximize interest in the shape or form represented is critical.
For this reason, photographers will often talk of images being ‘fl at’ where a subject may be rendered without much emphasis on its form or the space it occupies. This may be the result of poor lighting or poor positioning, or it may simply be that the scene itself is too cluttered to allow a single subject to be isolated and focused on.
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Shape or form
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Title: Lily
Source/Photographer:
Jeremy Webb
Simple shapes and forms often require controlled lighting to bring out the most interesting aspect. This single lily was bathed in soft daylight from above and slightly behind to make the most of its soft appearance.
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Created or revealed by space
The use of shape is often applied with the greatest effect when a distinctive form or outline is set against a plain background, thereby minimizing any distractions and allowing the viewer to focus squarely on the shape presented. In design terms, this is often referred to as good foreground/
background separation. This is why silhouettes are so universally understood – they present a strong and recognizable shape that is contrasted easily against a light background.
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Δ Line | Shape or form | Space ◊
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Title: Red tulips, Japan, 1980 Source/Photographer:
Ernst Haas
Unusually, for many photographers of Haas’s era, the black background to this image was used quite deliberately to give strength and richness to the red colour of the tulips. The effective use of lighting reveals the droplets, and the positioning of the flower heads also gives this image an unusual, but very forceful composition.
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Lighting
Photographers who are successful in allowing their subjects to appear ‘solid’ are photographers who have a keen eye for the properties of light. In the hands of a skilled photographer, the lighting allows subjects to be rendered in high or low contrast; shadows can help to defi ne the subject, or reveal the subject’s positioning within the wider scene.
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Shape or form
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Title: Yurt kitchen Source/Photographer:
Libby Double-King
Photographs allow us to embrace and interpret the effect of light on our subjects. This simple ‘found’ still life shows the effect of a small and diffused overhead light that seems to bathe the curve of the wooden shelf in a soft light; it allows our curiosity to explore darker areas as the light recedes into the background.
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Δ Line | Shape or form | Space ◊
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Title: Audrey Hepburn, 1950 Source/Photographer:
Angus McBean
The above image is one of many famous portraits by Angus McBean.
The surreal nature of this image is further heightened by the appearance of a strong shadow from the column in the background. It appears to signify strong light from a completely different point to that which lights the actress herself.
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Space
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Title: Pods of chance Source/Photographer:
Olivia Parker
Natural subjects offer a huge variety of strong shape and form to play with.
Olivia Parker uses soft lighting and an eye for simplicity to create this wonderful image.
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Title: Early morning boudoir table Source/Photographer:
Smart Photography Ltd
Bright sun or studio lighting picks up the highlights and reflections in this colourful advertising image rich in warm reds and oranges. The direction of the light allows the glass to reveal its contours and shape in a way that flat soft lighting would be hard-pushed to achieve.
Objects
The photographer who carefully considers the shape or form of the subject will seek to give great emphasis to it. There are many design elements to consider and experiment with – lighting, positioning, vantage point, and distance, for example. However, the complexity and character of the object itself is critical to how you generate interest and engage with your viewer.
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Space is often the last aspect considered when composing an image, but it deserves the attention of a creative photographer.
We grow up conditioned to fi ll space when what we often need to do is take something away in order for the entire image to have more power and impact.
In photographic terms, space can either be the two-dimensional space on a print or fl at image, or it can mean three-dimensional space – the real or actual space present at the scene.