Part 2 - Elements of Design - Exercise 5 - Curves

This exercise was similar to diagonals, where I had to go out and take 4 image thats use curves to emphasise movement and direction.

Image 1

My first image was taken of a hand railing overlooking a river. The strong curve takes our eye around the image in a shallow loop starting at the front. I used a shallow depth of field to continue with the flatness and keep the start point of the eyes journey sharp giving no alternate to the viewer but to start at the front and work around the rail.

Image 2

In image 2 I was in a very tranquil wooded area and wondered how I could bring some suggestion of movement and direction to a shot. When I found this strangely bent tree I adjusted my view point and used a wide angle lens at 14mm to accentuate the natural curve and create the feeling of movement along and round its shape, bringing some life to an otherwise dormant, still location.

Image 3

Image 3 was taken in a shopping wall I had photographed before and new there was the winding staircase. I selected a section to shoot and tried to use both rails to portray some smoothness and grace as they climbed up the curvature of the stairs themselves. The twist in the stairs also gives me a feeling of the eye being pushed across from the right rail the left as we come to the top of the stairs then almost bringing the eye back down again.

Image 4

With image 4 I used a modern footbridge across the river Clyde in Glasgow, facing the financial district of the city. Here we have the very strong curves of the bridge winding and twisting across the shot from left to right. The rail also adds to the sense of movement and helps direct the eye across the bridge as with its perspective it points us in that direction. By moving my viewpoint and getting lower than eye level I managed to get the far end of the bridge tuck under itself and complete the full journey across, whereas with other attempts in a higher viewpoint this was hidden by itself and left it looking as if it stopped midway across.

This exercise along with the previous 3 had me looking at things I had always looked at and see more of them. These curved, horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines were always there but it is only after examining them and looking out for them that I realise their effect and emphasis on an image are huge. Possibly this was a subconscious part of my photography before but now having the conscious understanding of their importance I hope to try and produce more interesting images that I have deliberately designed to be viewed in a desired may, that is appealing to the viewer.