“Graphic design” might sound complicated, but in this article it refers to using the shapea of things to communicate visually. Many shapes are interesting or beautiful in themselves and are worthy of inclusion in a photograph or even being it’s subject. Learning to use them as exciting parts of your photos is an important part of developing your compositional skills. Here are some examples to get you started on your own search for graphic elements.
The image on the bridge is rich in emotion communicated through relationships implied by human forms on a pedestrian bridge. The whole suggests a pleasant and memorable time spent by a father and his children exploring their world and includes their forms blended with those of the bridge. Bridges often present strong graphic potential; some like the rail bridge on the right have complex designs, while more modern crossings can be visual poetry expressed in steel or concrete.
We quickly recognize many forms by their silhouettes while others are distinguished from their surroundings by their color or texture as in these soft, organic images. Consider the gentle design of the towel and the stronger lines of the swimmer’s flotation tubes, and how line, form, and color compliment each other both of these photos.
The sun became both subject and the only element of design when captured in the dawn sky with a stopped down telephoto lens. So did the cranes seen in flight against an evening sky. Using long focal lengths to make the subjects larger in the frame and the unusually simple backgrounds assure that their graphic potential is realized.
The plant world is full of designs. We’ve all seen elegantly formed trees in photographs, sometimes singly, and sometimes in groups. Moving in close to view part of a garden reveals another scale of design. We see the fibers peeling from the edges of the spears, and consider the needle-like leaves, the rounded ones, and the star shape of the blossom occupying the frame at right. From a distance the garden was a complex jumble but excluding the unnecessary revealed the elegant and functional designs seen here.
The majority of my favorites photos contain elements of graphic design, and if you look you might find some in your own pictures. Even in you find them in your portfolio, I encourage you to make an appointment with yourself to discover and use graphic designs in your images. It is sometimes a challenge to find them amongst all that is around us, but moving up close physically or with a telephoto lens may help make the possibilities more prominent. Designs exist on larger scales as well. Skylines come to mind, and short subjects with long shadows that we sometimes see when the sun is very low on the horizon.
The impact and excitement that graphic design brings to photography is an established principle of composition, and it’s fun to discover and capture good examples. Have fun searching and keep track of your progress. It will help you become a better photographer.
Check out all the Pro Photographers Composition Secrets:
1. Leading Lines
2. The Rule of Thirds
3. Beaking the Rule of Thirds
4. Self Assignment: Leading Lines and The Rule of Thirds
5. Framing the Subject
6. Negative Space
7. Graphic Design
8. Backgrounds
9. Foregrounds
10. Patterns & Repetition
11. 9 Composition Self Assignments
12. Use Color as a Focal Point
13. Balance and Symmetry
14. Unique Perspectives
15. Geometry and the Triangle
© 2011, TheDigitalPhotoCoach.com. All rights reserved.
© 2011, TheDigitalPhotoCoach.com. All rights reserved.
