Understanding Shapes and Forms

excerpts from Natural Design: Image Design for Nature Photographers

The shapes and forms in our images should be given consideration because in photography they simultaneously perform dual functions of equal compositional importance: they incite emotions and influence mood, and they can serve as the building blocks of a composition, forming the underlying structure.

Shapes and Forms as Structural Elements
Where shapes or forms are situated in relation to each other and the frame usually defines the structure of the composition. For example, if you throw your scene out of focus just slightly, you will be left with blurred shapes of varying colors and tones.

At this most basic stage we can see the main shapes that make up the underlying structure of the composition. If these shapes are organized in a way that exhibits asymmetrical balance or some degree of predictability or order, the structure of the composition could be considered informal. Most nature photographs have this kind of composition.

If the shapes or elements are scattered throughout the frame, or appear to have no apparent organization, the structure could be considered abstract. If the composition is patterned or comprised of shapes and forms of equal size and distance, such as a honeycomb, it can be considered formal.

Texture of Forms
In the capture of detail photography is unrivaled as a medium. Great satisfaction and a richer visual experience can be had by studying closely the various details and textures of the elements in a photograph. Try to imagine how they would feel to the touch. Do the textures give you a certain overall feeling? Are they abrasive? Soft? Does it support the overall mood and message of the image? Were the textures lit in a way that best reveals their detail?

Side light is often used to emphasize textures and give the object a three-dimensional feel. Backlighting is also used to highlight textures as well as translucence.

Spatial Organization and the Relationships of Forms and Shapes
Spatial organization is concerned with the positioning of the objects in the scene and the relationships they have with one another, the frame, how they effect the overall structure of the image and how our viewers respond to the image.

For example, in an image where the forms and shapes are arranged in a way that exhibits visual balance, these objects can be considered harmonious and complementing one another. They balance one another and the image while imparting a sense of rightness and balance to our viewers. While visual balance is the goal in many nature photographs, often there is a desire to arrange the shapes and forms in a way which causes the image to appear imbalanced, that creates tension, or throws off a viewer’s sense of equilibrium.

If we understand the relationships of the forms and shapes in our images, and how they can affect each other and the image we can have more control over the emotional reaction our viewers have to our images.

Shapes and Forms and Balance
Achieving a visually balanced composition where the weight of objects is distributed throughout, or skillfully placed so that no area is uncomfortably ‘heavier’ than another is done through distribution of the shapes and forms.

The majority of us know how it feels to walk in balance – everything on the left is the same as the right and it feels quite natural. We are affected visually by this same sense of ‘rightness’ when we view an imbalanced image, we feel that it is imbalanced; we sense something is askew–off kilter–or we intuitively want to bring it back into balance.

This sense of balance can have a tremendous affect on the comfort level of our viewing audience. The image may feel incomplete, have tension or otherwise seem ‘not right.’ This is not an unplanned reaction that I ever want to have to my own photographs. This is not to say we must always strive to balance our photographs.

Often photographs are purposely composed out-of-balance; and they’re often well received that way. The point is that a photographer should be aware of the great but indirect effect the balance in his or her composition could be having on the viewer.

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excerpt from Natural Design: Image Design for Nature Photographers

Revised June 23, 2008