This document discusses various design basics and principles of composition in photography. It covers key concepts like contrast, balance, Gestalt perception, perspective, rhythm, pattern, and visual weight. The main types of contrast and balance discussed are static/symmetrical versus dynamic/asymmetrical. Gestalt laws explain how the eye groups elements together. Composition aims to guide the viewer's eye movement and understanding of the photo.

1. Chapter 2:
Design Basics
Design basics

2. Composition=Organization
• Working with composition helps us to
understand why certain photographs
create the impressions they do
• Two most fundamental types of design
are contrasts and balance

3. Contrast
• Contrast stresses the differences between
graphic elements
• The basis for composing an image is contrast
between tone, color, form, sensations…
• Johannes Itten created a theory of
composition based on the idea of contrasts.

4. many one

5. flat
contrasty

6. delicate/harsh

7. soft/hard

8. More Contrast Examples

9. Strong/Weak

10. Diagonal/Circular

11. Large/Small

12. Large/Small

13. Still/Moving

14. Long/Short

15. Light/Dark

16. Sweet/Sour

17. Gestalt Perception
• A way of understanding perception
• The mind goes from recognizing the
individual parts of a photo to
understanding the whole scene
• When the viewer understands the
image as a whole, it requires less effort
for them to understand the picture

18. Gestalt and Kanisza Triangle
• Gestalt theory of closure
• Parts of a composition
Suggest a shape and this
Perceived shape helps to
Give structure to the photo

19. Gestalt

20. Gestalt Laws
1. Proximity-the mind groups things according
to how close they are together
2. Similarity-items of similar form or content
are grouped together
3. Closure-elements arranged together are
seen to complete a shape
4. Simplicity-the mind prefers simple visual
explanations

21. Gestalt Laws
5. Common Fate-grouped elements can
be read as one
6. Good Continuation-the mind continues
shape beyond their end
7. Segregation-in order for an object to
be seen, it must be distinguishable
from the background

22. Gestalt Principles
1. Emergence-negative space pops out
2. Reification-the mind fills in an area due to
inadequate information(like closure)
3. Multistability-inversion-you can t tell what is
the subject and what is the background
4. Invariance-objects can be recognized
despite orientation

23. Balance
• In photography, the mind tries to
balance things based on the laws of the
physical world
– Gravity, weight, levers…
• Balance is like a weighing scale, you try
to even out the weight

24. Static Balance/Symmetrical
• Everything is centered
• You can place your object in the very
center or place something on either side
of the center

25. static balance

26. bilateral symmetry

27. William Eggleston

30. Dynamic Balance/
Asymmetrical
• Opposes forces of nature and creates a
more dynamic look
• A large object can be balanced by a
small one if it is far enough away from
the center of the frame

31. imbalance

32. dynamic balance

36. Dynamic Tension
• Using diagonals, rhythm…you can
create dynamic tension instead of
balance
• It keeps the eye moving outward from
the center of the image
• Leading Lines

37. dynamic tension

38. dynamic tension

41. Figure and Ground
• As viewers, we assume, all subjects
have a setting or background. One
thing is important while the other is
secondary
• You can create an ambiguity as to what
is figure and what is ground. This adds
tension.
• Think about your negative space

42. figure and ground

47. Rhythm
• Several similar elements or repeating
elements can create rhythm
• The viewer will continue the rhythm out
of the frame
• Rhythm indicates a directionality

48. rhythm

49. dynamic rhythm

52. Pattern, Texture, Many
• Like rhythm, pattern in built on repetition, but
it is not movement based. It is area based
• Pattern on a large scale takes on the look of
texture. Texture is a surface quality.
• Many has more to do with content and the
surprise of seeing so many of something at
one time.

53. many

54. regular pattern

55. irregular pattern

56. breaking pattern

60. Perspective
• The appearance of objects in space and
their relationship to each other and the
viewer.
• Photography usually inherently shows
perspective, so it s more a matter of the
intensity of the impression of
perspective

61. perspective

62. Linear Perspective
• This occurs when lines converge.
• In reality we know that parallel lines
never cross, but as they get further from
the camera they appear to move
towards each other

63. linear perspective

64. Diminishing Perspective
• This is a form of linear perspective
• Objects get successively smaller as
they move a way from the lens

65. diminishing perspective

66. Aerial Perspective
• Atmospheric haze reduces contrast as
the scene get further from the camera
• By not using filters you can maximize
atmosphere
• Telephoto lenses show more aerial
perspective than wide angle because
they show less of the nearby things that
are not hazy

67. aerial perspective

68. lack of aerial perspective

69. Visual Weight
• Our eyes focus most on what in the
frame will give us the most information
– Ex: eyes, mouth, hands, writing…
• Also, things that appeal to our emotions
draw us
– Ex: cuteness, sexuality, horror…
• We tend to draw conclusions based on
previous knowledge

70. visual weight

71. visual weight

72. visual weight

73. visual weight

74. visual weight

75. Looking and Interest
• Our eyes move from point of interest to
point of interest quickly until we have
the whole picture in our mind
• This can be mapped to show how we
take in images
• We also look based on what we are
looking for in the image

76. intended order

77. Content, Weak and Strong
• Content is the subject matter..conctrete
or abstract
• Strong content calls for practical
composition
• With weaker content you can play more
with the composition

78. strong content

79. James Nachtwey

80. James Nachtwey

81. Mainly Form
• Photo taken with visuals as the focus