TAOP Part 2 - Excercise 1 Positioning a Point (Points)

TAOP Part 2 - Exercise 1 Positioning a Point (Points)

This exercise requires the taking of 3 photographs in which there is a single point placed in a different position in the frame.


Image 1

I've come back to a place I've visited before to take this image.The contrast of the red letterbox within the brick wall makes this as the subject standout. In this position within the frame and including both the ground and the wall within the image the scale can be understand and I feel the viewer will feel that height of the letter box is in a comfortable position into which letters can be inserted through the letterbox opening. The letter box has also being positioned on a zing point where a vertical and horizontal thirds lines intersect which I know the eye finds comfortable because it gives the image balance.



Image 2

The humour in this sign attracted me; is the driver being warned to slow down because men are working or is the driver warned that slow men are working! Again the subject is red making the identification of the subject easy in contrast to its surroundings. For this image I've place this on a bottom left hand third. The eye is then drawn through the image starting on the bottom of the S shaped curve of the curb, up to the warning sign and then through the image following the curve of the road to the right. In hindsight I appear to have wasted space in the top half of the image but being shot in portrait mode does help to give length and distance to the road and a feeling of the road's incline.

Image 3

A rather bizarre subject to find but it is the head of a farmer's scarecrow protecting the contents in his field from the birds. The almost jaunty angle of the scarecrow's head made me smile as it had an almost challenging look, challenging the birds no doubt. The field and the hedge were both taller than my position on the road giving a dominating feel to the scarecrow. By framing this in portrait mode I wanted to pass on this imposing feeling to the viewer. As with the other 2 images I feel that putting the subject on a horizontal and vertical intersection gives balance to the image.

Exercise Learning's

a) Positioning of the subject as a single point within the frame can create a final static, eccentric or slightly dynamic effect to the overall image

b) Positioning a single point on one of the 4 zing points (intersection points of horizontal and vertical thirds lines) move the subject from a potentially centrally static or eccentrically close to the edge position and give both balance to the image a slight dynamic feeling.

c) A single point carefully placed within its surroundings can draw the viewer through an image; image 2 is an example of how this can work

d) Use of portrait and landscape modes of framing can help the photographer create a visual language within the image