Project: Using Lines in Composition

Up to this point, we have been examining lines in their own right and how they add to composition.  So:

• Horizontal lines - these give breadth to a photograph and there is also implied strength and stability;
• Vertical lines - these naturally provide height, but there is also implicit strength and power;
• Diagonal lines - these provide strong dynamics and tension.  Through this tension there is drama;
• Curved lines - like diagonals, these provide movement, however instead of the direct movement associated with diagonals, these are more graceful and smooth and could suggest relaxation.

In the previous exercises, these have been generally complete, however lines can also be implicit.  In other words they may either be incomplete or they can be suggested through movement, direction in which a person, animal or any object which has sight associated with it, is looking. 

The purpose of all of these is to endeavour to convey a story to the viewer, by leading him, using these methods in the direction where you consider the focus of the photograph exists.  Of all of these implied lines, I consider those constructed as a result of where an individual is looking to be the most powerful.  This is so as we have a natural affinity to a person's eyes, or that person's line of sight.

Taking an example, using one of my favourite photographs by Robert Doisneau - Fox Terrier on the Pont des Arts.  This is a rather curious title as the dog, though in the photograph has really very little to do with the photograph.  There is a great number of questions about the artist, the nude he appears to be painting and the extension of the nude in the painting through to the foot which can be seen just past the artist's left knee.  All of this is very important to the construct, but for me, the highlight is the man with the dog and the lines down which he is looking.  We cannot see his eyes, but these lines, or his line of sight, are constructed by interpreting the angle of body and the position of his head.  The big question is, is he simply trying to see the painting on the easel, or is he trying to look around the easel at the nude woman (perhaps) on the bench.  A copy of this photograph can be seen here.

Project: Focus - at a set aperture

This exercise is one which I revisited several times - I just was not happy with the results truly illustrating what I wanted. In the end I settled for this set - the beach huts at West Mersea in Essex. I just loved the late afternoon light as the sun settled below the horizon at the end of January this year.

I felt this set best illustrated the effects of focusing at different points at the widest aperture. Here I enhanced the effect by using the telephoto end of my 24-105 zoom.

Near Focus 105mm, f4

This, first frame in the sequence, probably illustrates the effect most graphically with the focal point set close to the camera, very little is in focus with the majority of the subject out of focus.

Mid focus 105mm f4

In the "mid-focus" shot, both the foreground and the background are out of focus. The central part of the photograph is now sharply defined.

Far focus 105mm f4

Here I have focused on the beach huts beyond the central point, throwing those in the foreground and in the central area out of focus, though there is a gradual increasing sharpness of the subject as you go through the central are towards the background.

Of the three photographs in the sequence, my preferred is the last one with the sharp focus in the background. This makes the background really stand out and becomes the centre of attention. The eye is led into the photograph and depthe is given as a consequence. I feel, though, that this is going to be dependent on the subject matter and what is hoped to be achieved with the composition.

Project: Getting to know your Camera

At last I have tackled the first of these exercises. I have had this particular camera for just over a year. The EOS 50D manual tells me several things about my camera which are pertinent to this project:

• The image sensor size is 22.3 x 14.9
  
• Aspect ratio is 3:2
  
• Viewfinder coverage is 95%
  

What does all this mean. The sensor size means that I have a much narrower angle of view, than a camera with a larger sensor. Typically equivalence to a 35mm frame is used when making comparisons, and in this case, 35mm equivalence is 1.6 times the focal length of the lens. In other words, the sensor in the 50D is 60% of a full size or 35mm "frame". Canon have, however, retained the 3:2 aspect ratio which existed in film cameras.

Viewfinder coverage is not full size, which means that for this exercise, the sensor sees more than I do. I have found this to be somewhat of an irritation at times - careful cropping in the viewfinder is un-done if allowance is not made for the smaller coverage.

So, for this exercise, I walked up the street to a somwhat old, wall-mounted post box. The lens I used for this exercise was a 24-105 zoom. As suggested I had both eyes open and tried to match the view in both eyes - a rather curious effect occurred whilst adjusting the focal length - the image seemed to pop in and out steadying when the image size was approximately the same.

The result is shown below:

I estimated from the lens barrel, that this "standard" focal length was 55mm. The Exif data gives it at 57mm.

The following two shots show the view at 24mm and 105mm. I decided not to use a lens with a longer focal length, as I felt that would not add to the knowledge gained from this exercise.

24mm

105mm