Photo Contrasts

PROBLEM STATEMENT: Using gestalt principals take photographs of clusters of leaves and of linear shadows. Each photo should have contrast, direction, visual interest and a clear point of view. Create a dynamic system of three groups consisting of two photos each there should be one photo from both categories. Each pair should share a connectivity different from the others and can be subtle or obvious.

Process for Photo Project

PROBLEM STATEMENT: Using gestalt principals take photographs of clusters of leaves and of linear shadows. Each photo should have contrast, direction, visual interest and a clear point of view. Create a dynamic system of three groups consisting of two photos each there should be one photo from both categories. Each pair should share a connectivity different from the others and can be subtle or obvious.

RESEARCH:
Cluster: A group of the same or similar elements gathered or occurring closely together; a bunch. Synonyms- Bunch, group, collection, band, gathering, constellation, knot, mass, nugget, bundle, crowd. 
Linear: of, relating to, resembling, or having a graph that is a line and especially a straight line: involving a single dimension. Characterized by an emphasis on: composed of simply drawn lines with little attempt at pictorial representation of, relating to, or based or depending on sequential development. 
Shadow: An area that is not or is only partially irradiated or illuminated because of the interception of radiation by an opaque object between the area and the source of radiation. The rough image cast by an object blocking rays of illumination. The darkness following sunset. A feeling or cause of gloom or unhappiness. A shaded area in a picture or photograph. 
Leaves (ORGANIC) vs. Linear (GEOMETRIC)

• Organic: Of, relating to, or derived from living organisms. Of relating to, derived from, or characteristic of living plants and animals. A work is said to possess an organic form if the work's structure has originated from the materials and subjects used by the author, "as a plant". The organic form, is innate; it shapes as it develops itself from within, and the fullness of its development is one and the same with the perfection of its outward form. An irregular shape, or one that might be found in nature, rather than a regular, mechanical shape. I imagine many colors that naturally transition and flow together as well as contrast. Color can be unpredictable in organic forms.
• Geometric: Of or relating to geometry and its methods and principles. Using simple geometric forms such as circles and squares in design and decoration. Geometric forms are those which correspond to named regular shapes, such as squares, rectangles, circles, cubes, spheres, cones, and other regular forms. Architecture, such as this example by Frank Lloyd Wright, is usually composed of geometric forms. I imagine blacks, greys and whites when I think of linear shadows. 

Connectivity: The quality or condition of being connected or connective.

• Connect with similarities: Colors, lines, shapes, lighting, subjects, sizes, direction.
• Connect with contrast: color vs black/white, big vs little, light vs dark, cold vs. warm, close vs. far, horizontal vs. vertical, simple vs. complex, single vs. multiple, whole vs. parts, directional, organic vs geometric, dot vs line, high vs low. 

Craft of taking photos:

• Quality: High resolution camera with manual setting so that I can control the light, shutter speed etc. Send out to get printed or print on quality paper. Make sure there is enough ink in the printer.
• Size: 4”x6” portrait or landscape.
• Contrast: make sure to display many layers of grey from the whitest white to the darkest black. A good quality black and white photo has a large range of greys.
• Cropping: Think about how to frame the digital shot while taking the picture and fine tune the crop in Photoshop later. Here is where you will also tweak the lighting, color, contrast using curves.
• Time: Manage time and try taking photos at different times of the day. Shoot multiple times to ensure you get the perfect crop and lighted image of the subject.

FIRST CRIT:

 

THIRD CRIT: 

Love this combo but there is something that doesn't allow the two pics to connect. There is great contrast but the connectivity is missing.... try the starbucks picture next to the twigs.

There is a strong color contrast but the amount of dark is similar in each photo. Similar use of positive and negative space

These are Okay (much more abstract but they can be pushed... simpler... try a close up of the leaf

 This is the strongest contrast and I need to find the right purple

 FINAL CHOICES

MORE color

PROPERTIES:

Value--> The light/darkness of a color (also tone). Knowing value provides the designer another compositional edit.

• Can be used to exaggerate the meaning. When there are changing values, the eye is guided in and around through a visual composition. Distant objects appear lighter in nature which help create an illusion of space and depth.

Saturation--> Intensity or saturation is brightness or dullness of a color. It's the measure of colors purity, brightness or grayness. Saturation is amount of gray in the color. Brightness is amount of WHITE in a color... color little or no saturation contains large amounts of white.

• Desaturated light colors are seen as friendly
• Desaturated dark colors are seen as formal
• Saturated colors are seen as exciting

Hue--> Color in its purest form. YELLOW BLUE RED. It's how we see light being reflected from an object at a specific frequency.

• Hue is the most ABSOLUTE of the three

COLOR: Most powerful communicative element in graphic design language. Provides:

• visual energy and variety
• attracts attention
• group disparate elements
• reinforces meaning
• enhances visual composition
• conveys: attitude and emotion
• increases visual interest and can reinforce meaning and organization of elements in any visual composition
• communicates immediately without words
• color association

"Color is a place where our brain and the universe meet" -Paul Klee (1879-1949)

Without even knowing it we are receiving messages to our brain about objects or things we view because of their colors. These messages are very emotional. Color choices can make or break a product or business. Color choices must be well thought out and researched. My research has brought me to this quote: "Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions." - Pablo Picasso

Color psychology--> 

• "Color is a powerful communication tool and can be used to signal action, influence mood, and cause physiological reactions. Certain colors can raise blood pressure, increase metabolism, or cause eyestrain." - about.com
• Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. - about.com
• Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.
• Chromotherapy is sometimes referred to as light therapy or colourology and is still used today as a holistic or alternative treatment. - about.com
• Red was used to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation.
• Yellow was thought to stimulate the nerves and purify the body.
• Orange was used to heal the lungs and to increase energy levels.
• Blue was believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain.
• Indigo shades were thought to alleviate skin problems.

Color Schmuhler

“The hardest thing to see is what is right in front of you. It’s not what you look at that matters, its what you see." Define isolate edit

Anytime I have created art I have been very vocal about my fear of color. Fear in this case is felt because I don’t have the knowledge of something and experience to push through learning about it. I am great with gray scale, I can work with that. From what Gwen has said in class color can be thought of as in grayscale. There are highlights, mid-tones and darks. Maybe I can mesh this and just SEE it instead of looking for the answer.  I have a desire to KNOW and SEE color for what it is… colors are pieces to puzzles. You would think that since we all see in color and identify objects we see partially because of the colors that they are, we would be more familiar with color. I understand the basics; I get that blue and yellow make green and red and blue make violet. But when I was in class trying to SEE what was in my photos I felt handicapped. I do NOT understand that red-brown has green in it??? I suppose because green is complementary to red that it neutralizes it to brown. I feel like I need to write this out on a blackboard a hundred times and to put it on a recorder on my i-phone to burn it into my brain...

In class, I was trying to see a different way by DEFINING one color and fluting it with other color I thought were in that color… I would EDIT them and I was confusing myself by making it harder than it was. I ISOLATE one color and try “fluting” it and then I forget about the picture and end up with a “pretty” color palette that I like a lot but then it doesn’t match the photo. Gwen comes over and immediately chooses the obvious colors in the photos and I can SEE the color as she is choosing them. I want to learn how to make it that easy… to know that the colors I choose from the photo will relate and be in each other.  The hardest thing to do is to retrain my brain. I really, really want it and I will keep trying.

Not just a snapshot...

"A picture is worth 1000 words"

Define:

• Refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image. It also aptly characterizes one of the main goals of namely making it possible to absorb large amounts of data quickly.
• A picture tells a story just as well as a large amount of descriptive text.

History:

• The expression "Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words." appears in a 1911 newspaper article quoting newspaper editor discussing journalism and publicity.
• This phrase emerged in the USA in the early part of the 20th century. Its introduction is widely attributed to Frederick R. Barnard, who published a piece commending the effectiveness of graphics in advertising with the title "One look is worth a thousand words", in Printer's Ink, December 1921. Barnard claimed the phrase's source to be oriental by adding "so said a famous Japanese philosopher, and he was right". Many things had been thought to be 'worth ten thousand words' well before pictures got in on the act; for example:
• "One timely deed is worth ten thousand words" - The Works of Mr. James Thomson, 1802.
• "That tear, good girl, is worth, ten thousand words" - The Trust: A Comedy, in Five Acts, 1808.
• "One fact well understood by observation, and well guided development, is worth a thousand times more than a thousand words" - The American Journal of Education, 1858
• It began to be used quite frequently in the US press from around the 1920s onward. The earliest example I can find is from the text of an instructional talk given by the newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane to the Syracuse Advertising Men's Club, in March 1911: "Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words." 

My thoughts: There is an endless amount of meaning behind a picture. There are too many different points of view for a photograph to be locked down with one specific meaning to be put behind it. A photographer might have every intention of sending a very specific message to an audience but the message received is going to be perceived even slightly different than their intention. Some viewers might like/love a picture and not know why, others may be educated in what to look for and understand the qualities that are there which they admire.

• Pictures illustrate:
• Stories: There could be a story behind the photograph...a history, for example a family photo would convey that moment in time for future generations. Or a story could be portrayed in a photograph of a news story with an accompanying article. "Such shots need to have something in them that grabs the attention of a viewer. They also will usually have visual and/or narrative focal points that lead the viewer into the photo. Short Stories photos are often shots that leave the viewer of the photograph wondering about what they are looking at – not because they don’t understand it but because they intrigue and leave people imagining what is going on behind the image and what other future images of the scene might look like. In a sense these single image stories are often just as powerful because of what they don’t include in the shot as to what they do include." - http://digital-photography-school.com

• Thoughts: Of the photographer who took the photo and of the viewer who brings their own preconceived ideas, and experiences to the viewing experience. Everyone who views it will experience something different based upon their experiences and what they bring. 

• Feelings: The photo could give off strong emotional vibes and create many different reactions. A photo of a sunset would most likely make the viewer feel calm and peaceful whereas a photograph of a starving child would make the viewer feel very conflicted, sad, helpless etc.