This document discusses various visual techniques used in composition including techniques for creating salience, reading paths, vectors, and different types of lines. It explains how techniques like placement, color, size, focus, straight lines, vertical lines, horizontal lines, diagonal lines, converging and diverging lines can be used to direct the eye along a reading path. It also discusses techniques for framing, connecting elements, establishing gaze, viewpoints, social distance, lighting, color and influences on modality or credibility of an image. The document provides examples and interpretations of how these various techniques can be used to achieve different effects or moods.

1. Visual Techniques
Terms for analysis

2. Salience
 Salience refers
to the feature in
a composition
that most grabs
your attention.

3. Placement: usually an image becomes
“heavier” if placed towards
the top or left.
Colour
Size
Focus
Distance
An image can be made salient
through:

4. What is most salient?
What part of this
image is most
salient?
Why is it most
salient?

5. A reading path is the path you take
through a visual text.
The path moves from the most
salient to the least salient elements.
Reading paths

6. Describing the reading path.
In this image,
what path do
your eyes
follow?

8. What is the reading path here?

9. A vector is a line that leads your eye
from one element to another.
A vector may be a visible line or an
invisible one.
It can be created by such things as a
gaze, pointing fingers or extended
arms.
Vectors

10. Explanation: how
vectors work in the
followingimages.

11. The Last Supper

12. Direct
Gaze:
Connecting
subject with
the viewer

13.  Straight lines can act like miniature highways
in images. Long straight lines grab the eye
and pull it from one end of the line to the
other, skipping everything between.
 The longer and straighter the line, the faster
the eye moves.
Straight Lines

15.  Prominent vertical lines are the most powerful
lines in visual media. We associate them with
strength, height, integrity, solidity, dominance and
power. Such as when viewing a tree, skyscraper,
flagpole or anything else standing tall and sturdy.
 Solid vertical lines are attention-getters and can be
used to create tension. They are powerful
composition elements
∗Vertical Lines

16. INTERPRETATION - Sony: strong, powerful, dominating the field

17.  In contrast to the effect of vertical lines,
horizontal lines can lend a lazy, calm feeling to an
image. They bring to mind how it feels to lie down
and be relaxed.
 Using horizontal lines to create a calming mood
are to capture long, rolling waves on a shoreline,
using the solid line of a wall, the horizon line in
nature; and capturing the peaceful line of an
ocean horizon.
Horizontal Lines

18. INTERPRETATION – KitKat: calm, tranquil, relaxed

19.  Diagonals are more visually dynamic than verticals
or horizontals. Where vertical and horizontal lines
sit in the composition and are restricted to up-
down, left-right movement, diagonals can sweep
across any area of the image and go in any direction
and this is what causes that ‘dynamic’ feeling
associated with these lines.
 Diagonals are often used to create a sense of
tension, or can serve the same purposes as
horizontal and vertical lines in that they can guide
the eye, and act as frames, borders and isolators.
Diagonal Lines

20. INTERPRETATION – Utah University: exciting, dynamic,

21.  Lines that converge are lines that come from
different areas of the photograph and lead
toward a common intersection, object or area.
 Can act as strong a focal point, main shape or it
could even be the main subject of the image. The
use of converging and diverging lines can often
result in highly creative, artful compositions.
Converging and Diverging Lines

23. Framing can be achieved by borders,
discontinuities of colour and shape, or
by white space.
Connectedness can be achieved by
vectors and devices such as overlapping
or superimposition of images.
Framing.

25.  Demand: subject looks out of the
image at the responder, demanding
attention and engaging you.
 This establishes a connection
between subject and viewer.
Gaze
Demands and offers.

27. Offer: The figure looks
away.
The viewer is a detached
onlooker.
Gaze
Demands and offers

29. The viewpoints come from
the vertical and horizontal
angles.
Subjective and Objective
viewpoints

30. Subjective viewpoints encourage the viewer
to adopt a certain stance
 A high angle
gives the
viewer a
sense of
power

31. Subjective images continued
 A low angle
makes the
viewer feel
powerless

32. Subjective images.
A straight on
eye level view
creates no
power
difference.

33. The viewer is not drawn into
involvement with the image.
Meaning comes from the
symbolic connection made by
the reader.
Objective images

35. Social Distance.
A close up is intimate
A medium shot is close
A whole figure framed is
close
A long shot is for social
distance

37. Lighting creates mood
- Shadows may suggest concealment or fear and
despair
-Light, hope and inspiration.
-Soft light, romance.
Colour can be symbolic
Lighting and Colour

38. Modality/credibility
Lowest modality
graphics are the least
real.
Highest modality is
most real.

41. Influences on modality
Idealisation: the image is
better than real.
Decontextualisation:
Components are removed
from the expected context
and used elsewhere.

42. Influences on modality cont.
Modality can be
affected by
tricks with
perspective.

44. The End