Elements & Principles of Design

For most of the scenes in this film we kept the camera steady. We also had minimal motion throughout the scenes. We should have had more movement of the camera and actor to make the scenes more interesting. We put the camera closer when we wanted to focus on a specific part of the scene. During the Informal Balance scene, we had the camera to the side of the hallway to make it seem less congruent. While editing, I cut out everything except the parts that clearly displayed the element or principle. If I were to complete the project again, I would have had the actors do more in the scenes.

Elements and Principles

PHOTOGRAPHY AS ART

Photography is more than combining cameras, lenses, and film; it is about using those tools in combination with the elements and principles of design to create visual art.  Understanding how to use the elements and principles will turn your “snap shots” into photographic works of art.  Define the following terms.

Elements of Design

Line: ·      Leading o   Lines within an image that lead the eye to another point in or out of the image. ·      Vertical o   Communicate a feeling of loftiness and spirituality. Seem to extend upwards beyond human reach. ·      Horizontal o   Suggests a feeling of rest or repose. ·      Diagonal o   Suggest a feeling of movement or direction. Objects are either about to fall or are already in motion. ·      Curved o   Deep, acute curves suggest confusion, turbulence, etc. Softer curves suggest comfort and safety.

http://char.txa.cornell.edu/language/element/element.htm use this website to figure out what each type of line represents.

Principles of Design

Balance: ·      Symmetrical: The image is equal or almost equal on both sides. ·      Asymmetrical: The image is different of both sides.

Unity: Taking the parts of a piece of art and putting them together to make something better as a whole.

Variety: Using different things that have something in common to create unity.

Movement / Rhythm: Creating a pattern that leads the viewer’s eye all around the piece.

Emphasis: Making a part stand out to draw the viewer’s eye there.

Proportion / Scale: Using the size of an object to give it more or less importance.

Repetition / Pattern: Having similar objects more that once in a specific order.

Making Choices

Point of View: ·      bird’s eye: Look down from above an object. ·      worm’s eye: Look up from below an object.

Rule of Thirds: Splitting and image into 9 parts to identify points of importance.

Framing: Using other objects to draw attention to the main subject.

Simplicity: Giving the main subject the most visual attention by keeping the rest of the photo relatively neutral.

The Golden Mean

Weston Taylor

Film 1

Pd. 8

                                                            The Golden Mean

            The Golden Mean is derived from the Fibonacci sequence, where each number in the 
sequence is the sum of the two previous numbers. The Golden Mean is found when dividing a 
number in the sequence to the number before it. This mean is represented in many forms in nature. A 
nautilus shell spirals into smaller and smaller sections, which are approximately the same as the 
Golden Mean. The mean is also present in parts of the human body. For example, the length of a 
finger bone in the hand is approximately the length of the first two bones in the finger, and the length of your arms from fingertip to fingertip is the same as your height. Many famous works of art like the Mona Lisa and works of architecture like stonehenge display the Golden Mean.