Ndbrown07's Blog

The construction photo is one that sends dynamic tension to the viewer. At the construction site of the Winona States wellness center I caught a photo of two workers on the big crane lowering a piece of equipment.  The crane creates action in the photo with its diagonal lines.  The viewer may choose to view the crane all the way up and then back down to the machine. One may not recognize that the other person in this photo is watching all the action in the photo.  This person seems small in comparison to the crane and other buildings in the photo. The unusual placement of objects in this photo provides tension as the eye attempts to create its own balance.  Creating this dynamic in one’s photograph was not direct to me.  I felt that I had to really concentrate on what I was attempting to bring to this shot.  I feel the end result has more aesthetic value because of the dynamic tension.

The photograph of the dilapidated building that has the lettering, “ght house”, shows design elements of contrast, balance, and gestalt.  The contrast is noticed as white lettering against the dark wood, and the hard lines and corners of the windows and wood in contrast to the soft curvy lines of the lettering.  Confusion and tension are set up with the lettering.  Our minds may fill in the missing pieces and the words “light house” may be the subject.  Using the design element of gestalt one may recognize the word but be confused because this does not appear to be a lighthouse and the tiny light above the lettering is also indirect contrast to the type of light one would expect.   The photo is recognized as a familiar building shape and the texture of the boards compliment the old building.   This photo shows is that cropping in tighter on a shot is not only an option, but it might actually be better, improving the experience for the viewer by engaging them. Balance is found in this picture because the weight of each half of the picture appears to be equal. It is pleasing to look at because of this balance.  I think the balance helps the viewer with this photo because we are familiar with balanced images and it helps us complete the rest of the photo in a familiar way.

“Warriors”, is a very strong display of design elements in rhythm, pattern, and visual weight.  The rhythm in this photo is created by the display of vertical poles.  The poles take the eye down their path and there is a feeling of a beat.  Rhythm is used in a photo to create music, tone, and movement.  I believe that is achieved in this photo.  The pattern is especially prominent on the top of the rails.  One is interrupted in viewing that pattern with the break in the top finial.  This break gives the photo interest and causes the viewer to look closer.   The pattern of vertical lines continues to the black gate poles. Having the gate extend beyond the photograph creates the illusion that the pattern could go on endlessly, also helping with the design of the photo.  Visual weight is a strong element in this picture.  The large letters on the bottom of my photo, and the relatively light and airy top portion of the photo, give this photo weight towards the bottom.  It is interesting that the letters can create a visual resting place for one’s eyes after the busy poles.  The lettering is interesting to me because of the closure it provides and the contrast of light and dark within the letters.  The lettering is easily recognized and this also gives the photo value.  The design elements of rhythm, pattern, and visual weight are strong in this photo but elements such as contrast, figure and ground, texture, perspective, depth, and balance could also be noticed. I am interested in bringing out elements of design in bold strong statements that give meaning to the photo and I believe this goal was achieved in this photo.