Task 2 - Composition Practical, Format/Angle

For this task, we had to focus on composition. Composition is how things are arranged in the frame. It is basically what you see in a image. The main feature of composition is where the subject sits in the viewfinder of the camera. This allows your image to draw attention to your viewer by the way you compose the shot with these techniques. It is best to compose the image as you are taking the image rather than editing them after. This just makes the quality of work as best and professional as you can. It is also a thought of consideration that you focus on the subject as best as you can, rather than having a cluttered image which might confuse the viewer's attention elsewhere. After knowing all this, we had to take some images focusing on formats and angles using the composition background in mind.

Contact Sheets

Format Analysis

Horizontal

Here is my example of a horizontal format image. It gives you a wider range than vertical images does. Horizontal/Landscape is sometimes useful for landscape views so you can capture more from left to right rather from top to bottom. Also, we are very used to seeing landscape orientation as we usually capture images holding the SLR camera straight ahead. This image is a landscape view of the new building in college. I like how all the lights are hanging down and because of the horizontal orientation, you can see many similar lights across the image.

Horizontal 2

This is my second example for horizontal. It has been taken in a way that the light pieces are along the centre, and the ceiling and glass view are equal. The image being horizontal gives it more depth from left to right and you can see how it's almost like a pattern image. The foreground light leads your eyes to the rest of the image. If it was a vertical image, you'd have to either move far back to capture it or it would only be a section of the light from top to bottom. Therefore, the focus would be more on the top ceiling and the bottom glass view.

Vertical

Here's my example for a vertical image. Vertical images are mainly used for portraits and scale. This image is also a low angle which shows some form of scale, making the frame look really big. Portrait orientations are also very known to us because letters, magazines, and lots more are in that vertical position. I think it's better to use when you want to focus on one thing particular that would fit in that scale without having to move so far out that the focus alters.

Vertical 2

Here's another example using vertical orientation. This image is similar to the horizontal image and you can see how they compare. This image does focus on the light but the ceiling takes up most of the picture. This makes the light composed lighter lower. However after relocating closer for the foreground light, it's given it a better angle the focus is on the light and not on the background window as the previous image.

Square

This is my square format image, it was taken in college. I really like how this is taken at eye level but still looks high. The light hanging is bang in the middle and the window light behind assists the light to stand out because of the darker shades. The ceiling is very parallel and moves inwards into the image. I like how the square format helps compile the area up. Making it look small with some sense of scale. Square formats are usually used for abstract as it is very compiled therefore it could make the image seem like something else. Also used for symmetrical compositions as the image has equal sides giving it this nice touch.

Square 2

This is another example taken at a window. Square format is not very common until recent, and now we have our phones and Instagram which base photos upon this format. I think it can be a good thing sometimes because it can focus on a particular thing more easily than getting so much excess around - as the width and height are shorter and equal.

Angle Analysis

Eye-Level

Here is my eye level image. This angle is very much straightforward. It is captured straight across at our eye level. It is very common when images are taken and looks very natural to us. It also gives this nice effect of looking straight across because of the way the ceiling and walls lead our eyes in to the image. It looks as though we are actually there at that moment, which is from our perspective. This image is taken of a corridor, kind of makes it look depressing even though it's blue which is suppose to be a cool colour. The emptiness and the reflection just gives me this hospital interpretation. The way the ceiling and walls collide inwards also makes it look smaller each step, making it as real as possible.

Eye-Level 2

This is my second example i chosen. I was standing halfway on the stairs and decided to capture this straight across. This is the outcome. I like how it's like a repetitive pattern with the barrister. You can see the steps really close as though it's low angle but it's actually like an abstract with the way it's just straight across. I could have chosen a better example to demonstrate eye-level from my contact sheet but this was an eye catchy one.

Low Angle

Here's my low angle image. Comparing this to the previous image, you can get a better idea of what low angle is like. I have taken this on a different staircase but you can see how the camera has been kept below the subject, and faced up to capture this shot. Low angle is very common without us realising. It does actually give various effects such as making someone vulnerable looking up to someone more superior from their perspective. It can actually show someone being superior by giving them height. Like although this image is not of a person, it makes the stairs look really huge than what it really looks like in our everyday life.

Low Angle 2

This is another example of a low angle image. This also demonstrates the way it makes an object look really bigger than what it really is. I guess it's common sense considering its taken nearer to the ground, but it does actually make the image attract your eye. That's what makes an image good when you interpret something in your own way. This image focuses on the wet sign but because it takes up majority of the image from the ground, it gives it this false scale that it's huge. Enhances on the object, knowing the fact that we know how small a wet sign is just makes it incredible how we can change the way we normally see it.

Additional Low Angle

This is also a low angle image that show tree branches facing upwards. It's a different type of low angle image compared to the two above because it's straight up towards the sky. It's like a birds eye angle but the opposite. Thought i'd include this because i thought it's interesting. I like how the colours are contrasted and makes it looks almost scary.

High Angle

This is a high angle image taken of a pen. High angle images are taken above the subject facing down which has the effect of making the subject look vulnerable. Also makes the subject look small in terms of scale. It works really well with low angle which has different but opposite effects. These angles are mainly used in conversations where you can tell one is vulnerable through high angle and the low angle shot is used on the overpowered one.

High Angle 2

Here's another example of high angle photography. I like how it's close up but you can also see how it's looked down on. This makes the switch look small in terms of vulnerability yet big because it's close up. It has a different effect than the effect that a low angle would have created. It also gives a sense that we're taller in height and that's our perspective of our eye. So when we actually go to turn off the switch, that's how it looks in our eyes.

Worms-Eye Angle

This is a worms-eye angle image. This is a prime example where you can see what it would look from a worms perspective (or any sort of object). It is normally captured from ground and it gives life to inanimate object. It is very similar to low angle but its a combination of low angle and eye-level because whereas low angle is looking upwards - this is straight ahead. This is the perfect angle for our project with inanimate object. It sort of gives the subject another perspective which does enhance on the subject. I like how i captured some of the bricks because it kind of looks as though the camera is sitting there and that is exactly where the object is if that's their perspective from their eyes.

Worms-Eye Angle 2

This is a similar example to the previous image. The fact we know how small these plants are, but has been manipulative so it looks eye-level but big in scale is just beyond creative. As worms-eye gives life to inanimate objects, i think its creative to consider showing that object's perspective. I like how in this image the plants are on my level but they look huge. You can see how the brick walls in the background that are blurred look massive so we're almost stuck in this hole. It gives this sense of closure like we're forever this small.

Birds-eye Angle

This is a birds-eye image. It has been taken from a high distance pointing down. Birds-eye images has to be high above subject because it loses sense of perspective. This image is not perfect because i couldn't go right above it but just about where the barrier takes me. Therefore you can see the slightest sense of perspective. But i still think it is a very good attempt and you can see the concept.

Birds-eye Angle 2

Here is another example of birds eye angle. It was taken at a top stairway and you can see how it flattens the image. You can't really tell how high up it is because it loses its perspective. It can almost turn abstract if it was really flattened because you almost won't be able to tell what it is. It would just show the top layer of anything - turning it 2-D. Looking at the steps in this image, you can hardly see the 3-Dimensional element that gives it a sense of perspective. You can only see strips of white on some blue colour. There is some shadows that give it away but the whole concept is visible. The brown banister in between each floor do give this perspective so i think it could have been taken better in a way that the floor/lower ground is exactly in the same level like the steps so it's completely flattened.