Garry Black Photography

Tips and Techniques

COMPOSITION

TONES - The Most Important Element in Visual Design

The skeleton or framework of every picture is based upon tones. It does not matter if it is a black & white or colour image, what is important is the range of tones and their placement within the picture. Colour does have a tremendous emotional impact, but still it is the tones within a picture that are the determining influence in a composition. In any image that has a full range of tones, your attention will be drawn towards the largest and lightest tone. From here, your attention will be attracted to either other light tones or a large dark tone, that depends on their placement and size within the picture.

Your composition should be determined by the tones that are present in your picture. In other words, if your subject is a middle tone and there is a large light tone in the picture, the viewer's attention will be drawn away from your subject because of that light tone. What you should always keep in mind is; are the tones helping to support your subject or are they distracting from it.

There are of course, many variations to this principle:

• If most of the picture is light in tone, then your attention will go to the largest and darkest tone, first.
• If there are no light or dark tones, but only middle tones then your attention will go to the most vivid colour present.
• If there are numerous, equally sized light tones throughout the entire picture, this can be either very effective as in a pattern or it can be very distracting if these tones are completely different subjects - your picture will look just cluttered.
• If there are only two large light tones, your placement of them in relation to one another is extremely important. If they are close to each other in proximity, then the viewer's attention will stay there. This is effective if you are trying to make a dominant subject, and as long as these light tones are your subjects, or if they are framing it. In the other example of two light tones, if they are at separate corners or ends of a picture, then your attention will travel from one to the other. If your subject is in-between them, this movement of your attention from one far end of the picture to the other can enhance the implied movement or direction of your subject.
• There are still numerous variations that are possible as every image is unique. But from the examples listed above, you should have a good basic understanding of tones and their importance in composition.

Form has four basic components - line, shape, perspective and texture. These are produced as a result of the differences in tones. The intensity or the difference between the tones depends upon the quality of light. With harsh lighting, the contrast is exaggerated, while soft light provides for a more gradual contrast. When the intensity, direction or the quality of light changes, then lines, shapes, perspective and texture change, which alters the appearance of form.

LINES are effective in moving your attention in the picture space. Vertical and horizontal lines are static, they do move your attention within the picture but they tend to be unexciting. While diagonals and curved lines are active, they create tension and provide perspective.

SHAPES are derived from lines and edges. There are three primary shapes - square, circle and triangle. If you have one or more of these shapes in your image, they will draw attention to themselves. The square being the least powerful, as it is composed of stable lines (verticals and horizontals). Circles and triangles more dynamic, and are extremely powerful in commanding the viewer's interest.

TEXTURE is created by sudden and rapid changes in contrast. This contrast provides us with the ability to produce the illusion of depth and perspective in pictures. Both of which are extremely important in the making of compelling images. Without depth and perspective, images will appear flat and therefore uninteresting.