Exercise: Multiple Points

The brief is to set up a still life using 6-10 compact and similar-sized objects and record this as it is built up "one-by-one".

Looking around the house, there seemed to be very little in the way of suitable objects to be used for this, so eventually I decided on some nuts which I duly purchased.  Setting this up definitely proved to be one of the most difficult exercises I have done.  Starting with just the one bolt I struggled to see how it would develop from there and I changed the arrangement around several times.  One of the most dificult design decisions was whether to have this in a compact or an expanded arrangement.


The first Bolt:  ISO 400 105mm f8 0.5 sec



A second bolt is added:  ISO 400 105mm f8 0.4 sec



And the Third...: ISO 400 105mm f8 0.3 sec



Number 4 is added:  ISO 400 105mm f8 0.3 sec



And the 5th - this time a pair treated as one:  ISO 400 105mm f8 0.3 sec



The 6th bolt - a larger one!:  ISO 400 105mm f8 0.4 sec



The 7th movement:  ISO 400 105mm f8 0.4 sec



And the final pair as well as some adjustment:  ISO 400 105mm f8 0.4 sec

I started using pairs of bolts to give the objects greater significance - this helped the "look" of the arrangement.  Finally I looked at the lines which related the objects and found several triangles joing the various bolts together.  This can be seen below:


"triangles"

To me there were several triangles - the primary relationship seemed to be governed by the size of the objects which can be seen joined above.

Exercise: The relationship between points

This proved to be a rather challenging exercise.  As noted in the text for this exercise, it is not quite so easy to find normally occuring situations where there are two points.  These were very much "found" situations, though for two of the photographs I did look specifically for that opportunity to arise.

Below, I have provided three such situations and in all three of them there is unequal balance between the points, with one being substantially more dominant than the other.  In two of these, the larger point was dominant, but in the third, the dominance was much more due to the positioning within the frame and also other factors within that frame.



Cows:  ISO 100 47mm f5 1/320

Here the cow is definitely the dominant point, primarily due to size.  The suggested movement and the visual lines draw the eye to the calf, which is the lesser point.


Light spots:  ISO 1600 70mm f7.1 1/100

My visit to Castle Hedingham provided this pairing.  Both of the light spots are in the lighter part of the frame, so the eye is drawn there looking at them equally.  However, there is a difference between the two, and the more "solid" spot of light has become more dominant.  The eye returns to that spot, refusing to linger for long on the lower, split spot.



Picnic:  ISO 400 130mm f5.6 1/1000

Here I found that tight groups of people become points.  I was hoping that this effect would happen, when I viewed the picnic area from a window near the top of the tower at Castle Hedingham.  I found that the group at the top of the frame was initially dominant, however, the lines in the grass seem to act as a pointer to the lower group and it seems difficult to get back to the top group.  The lines provide downward movement in this photograph.  


Exercise: Positioning a point

Following an examination of a number of previously taken photographs, this exercise called for taking three photographs where there is a single point positioned differently in each.  For each photograph I have drawn in the division and the movement on the smaller of the two images.


My submission for this is below:

Daisy:  ISO 200 105mm f7.1 1/125

Here there is strong movement from the much darker area in the bottom right through to the lighter area in the top left where I positioned the daisy (and attendant bee).  The flower is positioned close to the edge and this gives strong movement to the photograph.

Elk:  ISO 400 105mm f4 1/125

Here I positioned the subject centrally in the frame as shown by the division lines.  The elk was a wooden, almost two-dimensional "sculpture" which I came across in the woods at Marks Hall in Essex.  As such I considered that it was apt for the subject, the "point" to be central.  However, there is a secondary frame created by the trees which I have drawn above and this seems to reposition the point to a lower, off-centre position.

Castle window:  ISO 1600  28mm f5.6 1/30

 Taken in Castle Hedingham, this, I consider to be the strongest image of the trio.  A point of light seems to be a very powerful "draw", but also in this photograph this is reinforced or strengthened by the use of the diagonals which lead to the window.  The point is positioned slightly off-centre and this provides the movement and depth to the image.