Diagonals

This exercise is a continuation of the horizontal and vertical lines but now we look at diagonal lines that are used strongly in the image.
I wanted to try and make sure that these next 4 images have that strong use of diagonal lines but also that each one was different in its own way and using the diagonal lines in different ways.
I found that this topic was much easier than what horizontal and vertical lines were, but I do think this is down to something that Michael Freeman had written in “The Photographer’s Eye.” That the diagonals are much more under the control of the photographer than horizontals and verticals are. I found this to be very true as if I took an image and was happy about it I could make a small adjustment in the frame and the lines moved to how you want to have them, whereas with the horizontal and verticals you were fixed to the way in which you took the image so as to keep your horizontal and vertical lines.
So let us get on and let’s show you all what I came across and found for my diagonals.


This is image 1 for diagonals and I went for this shot because this was the first shot I saw when leaving my desk to take some images for this topic. I went for it simply because it shows how looking at horizontal and vertical lines from a different way will give you your diagonal lines.

Image 2 with the rain clouds starting to roll back in, I took this one next as this was going to be my first because I can almost see the whole of this image from my desk. Sat at my desk reading up on diagonals look up and all I see are the diagonals of all these rooftops. If I was able to move around further then you would probably see that the rooftops go on for a little way, I just wished the clouds could have helped more and been a little more sloped to match the rooftops.

Image 3 out looking for a different object to capture and I end up sat in a hay field, looking around I noticed this red and black bug climbing a blade of grass. So popped up the flash and went in for this I took 2 of these images the reason I chose this one is because the soldier bug is looking at me and the grass has such a mix of diagonal lines that it was a keeper and I love it.

Image 4 I found at the rear side of our local police station near some heavy looking fitted windows. I took a couple of images in that area, from looking up at bits and pieces through the view finder but it was this shot above my last shot I took that I loved the most and this I looked down upon it. At this angle I felt it gave a lot of feeling where it seems to go on forever and the rough and tired look of the paint just adds to it.
Whilst at a farm I was in the milking shed looking around and I noticed that everything seems very level and straight so I took a picture of it and noticed that because of my position and my perspective of what I could see I gave me quite a different image which I feel works quite well.

Books that I am reading.

I have been making sure that I am also reading more photography books so as to help me with this course and hopefully make sure i keep heading in the right direction with them.

So the books that I have been reading are:

1: Photo Art the new world of photography which is edited by Uta Grosenick and Thomas seelig.

This book looks at different photographers from around the world and shows the way in which that photographer see’s and shows their way of photographic art.

2: The Photographer’s Eye, Composition and design for better digital photo’s by Michael Freeman.

I have found that this book is great it seems to be covering the topics that we have done and are doing and I did notice that some of the images are in the course material.

 

Horizontal And Vertical Lines

This exercise was to go out and look for 4 specific examples of horizontal lines and also 4 specific examples of vertical lines. We are also advised not to repeat the subject so if you used a wall for one image don’t go and use another wall for another image you find something else.
The exercise is to help us find the different ways that horizontal and vertical lines appear to the eye and the camera. How certain design elements come about and how common or rare they are.
I found this quite hard to start off with I think that I was over thinking the questions or not reading into it the right way but I feel that in the end I have got there and I did notice that there are more ways out there for us to use horizontal and vertical lines. I also found that we use a lot of these lines in images we take and see in everyday part of life, from framing an image with trees or the use of the horizon.
I am going to start by showing you the images I took for horizontal lines.

Horizontal image 1. Taken at 22.40hrs over the jubilee celebration weekend I could just make out the cloud formations with the horizon, the horizon is at the bottom of the frame. I took this image as handheld as I had forgotten my tripod (well done me). I took this image because I was looking around and saw that all was in nice rows and after the town had done fireworks nearby it was very peaceful I look at this image I see the horizontal lines in it and feel relaxed by this image.

Horizontal image 2. This image I see almost every day when out walking it is the last part of an old wall as either end of this wall it is normal brick walls just out of the frame of the camera. The lines are as you can see horizontal but what I failed to include was the fact there is more to it and that is the grass verge at the bottom of the wall, then at the top of the wall it is finished off to a point and then above that you end up with the brick work of the house behind this wall. So with this shot I could make quite a nice background for something like portraiture.

Horizontal image 3. I love this image taken in between passing rain clouds I like that I can see the rain water on the panels and how all the horizontal lines level the shot up, the finishing touch is the bird feeder of flowers which is not central and helps to finish the image.

Horizontal image 4. With this image I did originally have the top of the tiles acting as the horizon in the bad weather but whilst looking at it I was not too sure that it would be able to stand on its own so I looked at cropping the image as practiced in the last assignment and saw this and liked how it looked with the horizontal lines from the roof tiles giving that slight feeling of tricking the eye.
So those are my images for horizontal lines but now it’s time to turn those lines from horizontal around to vertical and have a look at what I came up with for vertical lines.

Vertical image 1. I was out on 1 of my evening/ night walks when I looked up the road and saw that the area I live in has a lot of vertical lines like the road I live on. All the vertical lines from the buildings, windows, lampposts and walls and drainpipes. I turned this image to black and white because in the orange glow of the sodium lights it did not look too good but works better in black and white.

Vertical image 2. The Lego is back to show that with vertical lines you can get quite a uniform style of an image. But here instead of a solid line it is made up of multiple points to which I feel adds some interest to the image.

Vertical image 3. This is the second image I done for this one the first was some railings but it was to plain and I did not like it so went out and took this one which is a section of a feathered board fencing. It was in colour but the fence had been coated in treatment and was a bright orange/red colour so when I put the image to black and white, it worked it showed off the vertical lines of the overlap but also the grain in the wood. The part I like about this image is the knot in the wood and how the wood just seems to go on forever.

Vertical image 4 with this image I went for the classic vertical subject trees, I even managed to throw in a vertical standing bike with vertical handlebar streamers. I got some real funny looks taking this shot as I was on my own in the woods with a small girls bike and taking pictures of it, but that is something I love about photography to get the shot you want you do what you can for it I have even led down on a town path just to get a shot of a spider. This image however was much easier it was a long shutter speed at a high F number. I like it and the vertical parts all work for me in the way it frames up the bike too.

Assignment comments

So I got my email with my assignment comments back and I have to say I feel that I could have done better. This is because I had the image idea in my head but had played it safe so the image was good, it just lost some of it’s message that I was trying to show. The comments were not bad in fact the comments were very good I would say it is just me being me and wanting for everything to be just right. I was asked to read a few books one of them being “the nature of photographs” by Stephen Shore which I will do, I have been reading a book called “Photo Art” which was put together by Uta Grosenick and Thomas Seelig which covers a bit of the aesthetics of a photograph.
I found this book to be very interesting and also hopefully has given me a few ideas to use in my own photography.
What I did find interesting is that after going through the book it was the images that shocked me the most that I remembered one them being Diana Scheunemann who has been very successful doing fashion, lifestyle and advertising images for some very big names, it was the other photos she would take that when you turned the page it made you stop and say really but then you read why they were done and what she wants to get across and you get it which is to show life and its fun and the energy life has.
Now to get on with this next exercise speak soon