In this workshop we will explore the concept of harmony and discover a number that is related to it and that exists all around us! Through a series of activities, students discover how the golden ratio hides behind harmony and they will create their photographic work based on it. Finally, they will produce an interactive photo exhibition where visitors, with the help of augmented reality, will discover the golden ratio in the students' works.
22. The Golden Rule is the division of a linear part AB in two parts, a big b and a small a, so that the
following is true
a + b/b = b/a = φ
Where the letter φ represents the Golden Rule or otherwise known as the golden analogy, golden
ratio
66. Elements to design a frame:
Eye flow: Elements on the scene that guide the viewer’s eyes within the frame.
Dominant Element: Usually there is a dominant element on the image. The subject
can be either one object, either a relationship.
Simplicity: Only what is necessary is included in the final image.
Balance: It can be symmetrical or asymmetrical, subtle or obvious.
Editor's Notes
Do you think there is something in common in the photos we’ve seen?
There is! There is a number hidden in the photos!
Do we possibly “carry” this number on us ?
groups each= 18 kids
Fibonacci Sequence
The ancient Greek mathematicians ended up with the same number when searching for the formula that gives the perfect analogy, a perfect number that gives the perfect balance and harmony.
Pythagoras and Euclid, being very observant mathematicians for whom the harmony is found in many elements of nature, could not overlook it. They specified where we should ‘’cut’’ a linear part, so we can have an impressive analogy.
The above statement uses internationally as a symbol the Greek letter ‘’φ’’ that is the initial of the sculptor Fidias, who used the Golden Rule in his works.
The above statement uses internationally as a symbol the Greek letter ‘’φ’’ that is the initial of the sculptor Fidias, who used the Golden Rule in his pieces.
The above ratio uses internationally as a symbol the Greek letter ‘’φ’’ that is the initial of the sculptor Fidias, who used the Golden Rule in his pieces.
The most common representation of the golden rule.
Could the golden analogy be ‘’translated’’ into a geometrical shape?
What the students designed is the ‘’transfer’’ of the golden analogy into a golden rectangular
The construction of the golden rectangle can continue …forever
We can comprehend this even better when we discover another shape that is hidden in the one that we constructed.
What shape is hidden on the paper in front of us?
In the famous work, ’The Vitruvian Man’’, Leonardo da Vinci relates the proportions of the human body to the geometry we have just discovered.
Through this prism and by doing the same study we can observe again the images that we saw in the beginning.
Beauty is not perfection. Beauty is balance and analogy. The epitome of the golden rule.
Even in the subject of the charm of some faces you can find the ‘’φ’’ number behind it. The fact that some of us look good in a hat, a beard or curly hair it is a matter of the ‘’Golden Ratio’’
So, we come to discover that everything in nature is not as random as it could seem at the first glance.
It was observed, starting in antiquity, that flower shapes , the formation of leaves around the stem, the formation of petals don’t happen randomly but according to the Golden Rule.
What we call the golden spirals, that are based on ‘’φ’’, are found in the spirals of shells, Galaxies even in the DNA spirals or our fingerprints.
It is called ‘’the number of nature’’- because it appears everywhere in nature - from the nautilus shell to the sunflower.
If someone counts the bees in a hive anywhere in the world, they will notice that the ratio of the female bees to the male ones always comes back to ‘’φ’’
The Golden Number ‘’φ’’ was considered from the ancient Greeks as a divine analogy and its application in artistic creations or constructions would lead to excellent results.
A lot of artists that lived after Fidias used this analogy.
Like we see it implemented in Leonardo Da Vinci paintings.
The golden analogy has been used as a powerful tool of composition for centuries.
And it is used even today.
It is a design rule that is based on the number ‘’φ’’.
And I have just revealed a basic reason why we are attracted to beautiful things!
The golden analogy is aesthetically pleasing because of the evolution of human vision.
Due to the fact that it is easier for the human eye and brain to receive and understand all the important details of an image with this analogy and not with another one.
Our brain should process all that our eyes see. The faster that it can process an image, the more pleasant it is.
The number of photographs that we take and are exposed to is huge! How can the golden analogy influence a photo?
Each photo that follows the golden analogy is processed more rapidly in our brain, so it sends a message that such an image is aesthetically pleasing.
While the photographer composes the image, they become like a chef that takes a number of ingredients and mixes them using the right proportions and creates an imaginative dish.
Let’s take the two basic ingredients (like pepper and salt).
The term ‘’power’’ is related to the ability of a photograph to attract the viewer.
The viewer will abandon the image before examining its different parts and nuances if it lacks ‘’power’’.
You must remember that an average person has an attention span of a 3 year old child. If you can’t get their attention immediately, your image will be rejected.
„Clarity’’ refers to the ability of the photograph to keep the viewer interested.
This is achieved by allowing the viewer to explore the parts and the details of the image.
We have to offer a mechanism where the eye of the viewer is allowed to explore all the parts of a scene and come back to the main focus.
For an effective visual communication a photograph needs to have power and clarity. The viewer may be bored with your image if one of the two is missing.
How can the golden ration be applied in a photograph, so we can achieve that?
A lot of people believe that the golden ratio helps create the most beautiful compositions giving power and clarity to the frame.
The golden ratio allows a composition to be perfectly balanced for the viewer, creating a photograph that is more pleasant to the human eye.
Of course, we prefer to pass the time looking at an image that is balanced and harmonized and the golden analogy offers that.
Our viewers don’t want to ‘’work on it’’ in order to see a beautiful photograph, they just want to see it.
The photograph is a creation of a result that is visually attractive and the use of the golden analogy as a rule of design is one way to achieve that.
In this photo the golden rule allows the viewer to be guided in the photo.
In this photograph we see the placement of the subject according to the rule.
After our eye stops at the dog it is free to wonder around the rest of the image and explore its content.
As a result, the image has power and clarity.
The golden rule helps us divide the frame.
It is useful for photographers to trace the sweet spot - the spot in the photo which attracts the human eye first.
Another way to use it is to split the frame into 3 - the middle part to be closer to the center.
By splitting the frame we find focal points (the cut points), points of interest, points of ‘’power’’ of our photograph, the spots that attract the eye of the viewer in this area.
One method to give power to an image is to use the focal points. The focal points make the viewer see them first
The goal of this composition rule is for the photographer to place their subject (the central object) on the focal point or along a vertical or a horizontal line.
Place there interesting elements of a scene.
If there are more than one central subject, their placement in power spots offers balance and power.
By using this rule we help ourselves to express what attracts us in the image.
If the photographer can’t express what makes them passionate about a scene, it won’t be conveyed by the viewer either.
We are programmed to spot the main elements at the center of the frame.
Like when they give us a blank page and ask us to paint a flower, we will probably start painting in the center.
Why?
There is a lot of room there, so we can paint a whole flower.
The problem is, of course, that placing the subject at the center of the frame it is often of little interest to the viewer.
Our brain is logical. If our brain subconsciously expects to find something at the center of an image and there it is, no enthusiasm is created.
The placement of the object far from the center creates an optical stimulation.
For example, think of the classic photograph of a sunset.
If the line of the horizon is placed in the center of the frame, the sky and the water take up the same space. The viewer feels uncomfortable, because the photographer hasn’t provided any visual signal of what is the most important thing in the scene.
One option is to diminish the horizon, which emphasizes the clouds in the sky. The augmentation of the horizon emphasizes the reflections on the water. Which is best? The photographer must decide if the sky or the water is more attractive. If the photographer can’t decide and split the frame equally, this will be obvious to the viewer.
Both techniques, the spiral or the vertical lines will help you create a balanced interesting photograph as it is widely used in nature itself of which WE are also a part of!
Nobody is asking of you to believe that! The best is to experiment by yourselves !