TAOP Part 1- Assignment 1 Contrasts

TAOP Part 1- Assignment 1 Contrasts

Johannes Itten was an art school lecturer at the Bauhaus school for art and design. He ran a basic course to help art students discover the different possibilities of contrast within a picture.

This assignment is based on these contrasts being applied to Photography and challenges, with a selection of potential pairs from Itten’s list (and I think perhaps at least one from Michael Freeman), the creation of 8 subject pairs of contrasting images and one image containing a contrasting pair.

I’ve looked at a number of students’ learning logs to see what contrasting pairs they’ve selected and also what subjects they’ve chosen to contrast so that I get a feel for the assignment.

Using the contrasting pairs I’ve selected below I’ve attempted to create a set of 8 pairs of contrasting images, and one image containing a pair of contrasts. Where possible I’ve tried to follow these principles:

-        A contrast is where 2 things when put together are noticeably different from each other

-        Avoid using subjects that appear to have been firm favourites to date with many students

-        Considered inclusion of some of the elements that I’ve used and learnt through the exercises so far experienced in Part 1 of this course

-        Considered use of personal innovation and creativeness in my selection of subjects and how I present them to demonstrate contrasting pairs

-        Look for the image pairs to both compliment and contrast with each other so that together as a pair the contrast is identifiable, accepting as individual images the individual theme may not always be directly apparent. Where possible I’ve tried to connect the images.

-        As it is a set of images I’ve tried to keep the processing similar e.g. all colour or all black and white etc

-        Be brave to consider experimentation with images even in the knowledge that risk can bring failure

-        Enjoy the challenge of the assignment and accept it’s a learning experience which I can reflect on.  I hope this is a theme I can continue

I’ll list each image pair and then below include the relevant images and then follow this with a summary of my thought process in making these image pairs. However I hope that the image pairs alone demonstrate the contrast before the text is read.

Image Pair 1 – Large / Small

Sometimes the smaller being is said to be in the shadow of the larger being and this is exactly what I’ve attempted to portray in this pair of contrasting images.

I’ve used a wide angle lens to take the image of the tree as I know that this wide angle will increase the depth of the image which is exactly want I want to demonstrate the tree is large. The 20mm lens focuses from about 6 inches onward from the lens so there is a small amount at the bottom of the image out of focus. However because of this I’ve kept this in the image at the base of the tree in the bottom it encourages the eye to move up through the image, and therefore appreciating how large the tree is. I’ve used a medium to small aperture size to give a long depth of field and ensure the whole tree from the initial point of focus, remains in focus. What I hope I’ve created with this process is the eye being drawn through the out of focus element and up through the image into the focused area and up along the trunk of the tree where it can enjoy the green foliage basked in the dappled sun light. Along the tree trunk can been a “highlighting” circle of light though there can be no doubt as to what is the subject in the first image; this is a connecting element to the contrasting image of the small beetle.

In the second image I’ve also used the 20mm wide angle lens to capture the small beetle but to also include the tree in background and foliage so that a feeling of scale can be understood. I had to gentle encourage the beetle into the circle of sunlight so that within the image there can be no doubt what the main subject in the image is; this is also further emphasised using a wide aperture and therefore a small depth of field putting the background out of focus slightly so as to help the viewer focus back on the beetle. When the image is stretched larger there is no doubt that the subject is a beetle but at this size it may be harder to identify, however what is clear is that it’s small!

Image Pair 2 – Diagonal / Rounded

Diagonal lines imply dynamic energy into an image so careful positioning of the camera has given some implied movement into the diagonal lines of the waves in the first of these images. I’ve included the harbour wall with figures in silhouette to give additional interest and also because the left edge of the wall is also a diagonal. The sun was in and out so it was a case of waiting for the sun to create some warmth in the scene and some interesting reflections against the water and then taking multiple images to try and capture the water spray of the waves as it hits the harbour wall. These wave diagonals contrast with the round image of the top of a post in the second image. I’ve used a wide aperture to create a narrow depth of field to put the background out of focus and therefore not be distracting to the subject of the image, a circle shape, which is what I’m attempting to create. I’ve cropped the image square to accentuate the circle of the post but positioned it slightly lower in the image so the base of the frame appears to support the circle and helps (I hope) it not looking as if the circle is dropping through the frame.

Image Pair 3 – Continuous / Intermittent

I planned on using water in both flowing and dripping forms to show the contrasts of continuous and intermittent. However I found the actual execution quite difficult, at least in how I had decided to capture the contrasts. I’ve used water flowing from a tap in the kitchen sink and then used the darkest object I could find, a dark oven tray as background to eliminate distraction and disguise the sink and also contrast the silver of the water with a black background. Using a tripod and remote shutter release, with the camera in shutter priority I’ve attempted to give the water a feeling of flowing rather than of frozen movement in the first image using a longer shutter speed, as identified from the earlier exercises. In post processing I’ve used contrast adjustments to help darken background so it has become black, and I’ve also used the clone tool to remove some elements of lighter areas I wasn’t able to remove when creating the image. This flowing and continuous image contrasts with the intermittent water droplets which I’ve captured in the second image. Using the in camera flash and one positioned on the right side of image they have frozen a series of intermittent water droplets as they fell.

The result of the processing and cropping has unfortunately reduced the images to very small file sizes. I would need to consider an alternative set-up to recreate the images if I would to print these at large sizes.

Image Pair 4 – Pointed / Blunt

The observation tower is located at Porthcawl in Wales and its roof is certainly pointed and so a good example for the first of this pair of contrasts. I’ve placed the horizon on a lower horizontal third and the tower on a horizontal right hand third. Post processing I’ve attempted to lighten the sky / cloud to help emphasise the pointed shape more. The blunt wooden stump contrasts against the pointed tower and it can be seen in the second image just above the top of the stump so that whilst the images contrast there is a connection between the two.  Again when processing this image I’ve lightened the background to make the subject of this second image obvious and clear.

Image Pair 5 – Light / Dark



With this pair of images I wanted to compare and contrast light and dark in a creative way. The first image was shot directly into the sun with the sun composed on a zing point (horizontal third and vertical third intersection); I just had to wait for some interesting cloud to help balance the image. In the second image I’ve wanted to create an image of what the sun and sky would look like if the sun’s power waned considerable darkening the whole sky and contrast with light in the first image. This second image is actually of the moon behind clouds and perhaps with a little imagination a dying sun could be considered so contrasting and connecting with first image of the pair. Being hand held I found that in order to get a fast enough shutter speed to avoid potential camera shake I needed to increase the ISO to 6,400

Image Pair 6 – Hard / Soft

With the rocky area at the beach I’ve perhaps chosen an obvious subject to use as the basis of hard but with this subject I’ve used a wider aperture to create a slightly smaller depth of field and create out of focus areas in front and behind the area I want the viewer to focus on. The undulating surface of the rock creates some shadow and texture. This I feel contrasts well with the grass and the fluffy cloud creating a soft effect. I wanted to generate for the viewer the feeling of walking through the grass with the hand feeling the texture and softness in the hand, you mall recall the actor Russell Crowe doing something similar in the film Gladiator as he recalls walking through fields on his farmland. I was tempted in post processing to soften the image and perhaps in hindsight should have used a tripod and in shutter priority used a slower shutter speed to capture some movement and further emphasise softness, however I didn’t want to lose the texture of the grass.

Image Pair 7 – Still / Moving

I’ve captured the swan out of water and for me this was key so that it could be seen that the feet weren’t moving and that the swan could be seen as being completely still. Had it been floating on the water the viewers of the image might not be convinced that the feet were also still. There is a slight comedic element in this image since the swan could be seen to be standing still on the water rather than in it. In contrast to the still swan and remaining on an animal theme, I’ve captured close up a wild boar in the Forest of Dean which I’ve stalked. Using a slow shutter speed in shutter priority and slightly panning following the boar (as learnt in earlier exercises, I’ve captured implied movement of the animal though the actual image of the boar is of course static. By leaving some space in front of the boar “for it to move into” I think this may also add a feel of moving within the image. I took a series of images and I thought this the best not only in capturing the image but with the 5 implied triangles underneath the boar’s body starting from chin to tail.

Image Pair 8 – Straight / Curved

I’ve used decorative elements from a vase in conjunction with shadow to illustrate the contrast straight, the shadow created from a front firing flash aimed slightly off centre to create an almost abstract image. This contrasts with curved sticks and again using flash to create shadow the curved effect is further emphasised and contrast more with that straight sticks. Additionally I feel the colours of the wall, the sticks, and the shadows also have complimenting but contrasting colours. In both images I feel the eye naturally travels up and down the subjects in each image. Whilst the images contrast using shadows to emphasise the contrast I feel also helps connect the images

Image Pair 9 – Light / Heavy (1 Image)

I’ve used a ducks feather (as light as a feather) to contrast in size and weight of the rock (as heavy as a rock) it’s resting on. Having a choice of rocks and position options having the feather in a patch of sunlight again helps highlight the subject which could perhaps be lost against the bulk of the rock. The dappled sunlight also helps highlight the rocks texture and shape and give it some interest in the image. In a larger image the feather is more obvious.

Assignment Learning’s

a)    When you look with an <slightly> educated eye it’s amazing what has always been there in terms of potential contrast but not noticed through a lack of seeing. Options for combining contrasts within an image are a major tool when using visual language when creating an image

b)    Re-use of understanding and learning from the previous exercises has enabled elements of this knowledge and learnt skills to be included as part of this assignment. Notably shutter and aperture priority control, vertical and horizontal positioning, and subject positioning within the frame.  Continued consideration and weighing of these options will help contribute to creativity when creating images and hopefully allow these considerations to start to become second nature. It will need to be like this so that something new can fit in to my head J

c)     Light is an amazing tool for the photographer both natural and artificial and this is an area I’d like to experiment much more with. Many creative effects can be used with light, reflection and shadow and some I’ve been able to demonstrate in the images above

d)    To date I’ve really only created individual images so that this has been an interesting assignment in creating a set of images with linked pairs. I learnt this linking can be done using both contrasting elements and common elements to create pairs and also a set of pairs. I’ve also learnt that these elements can be combined within a single image

e)    ISO allows a faster shutter speed but at the possible expense of noise. The level of acceptable ISO will be camera / sensor specific but use of ISO is an area I’d like to find out more about and experiment with. Auto ISO can be set so that in aperture priority if the resulting shutter speed is reduced to a below a preset value, say one that if camera hand held would cause camera shake, the ISO is increased until the shutter speed is equal to or faster than the value set.

f)      Consideration is required to the targeted use of final image e.g. print size, stock library use, new paper or magazine publication etc since the image visualisation and required construction of the image and any post processing may impact the final image size. This is in turn may impact its suitability for its targeted use