Category: Composition

The objective of this photograph was to demonstrate that negative space can actually improve upon composition by allowing the subject room to breathe. Rather than centering my lemon tree within the frame, I positioned it off to the side and allowed plenty of sky and length of fence to fill up most of the photograph. Notice how that open space isn’t wasted; it actually causes your eye to focus more on the vibrant lemons and bumpy leaves because they provide a burst of interest against the tranquil and neutral backdrop. Your eye enjoys having space to wander when looking at this photograph, whereas if it was filled with more tree it would feel cluttered. I learned while shooting this photograph that sometimes simple is better. The fence and sky act as a subtle backdrop that amplifies the color/details of the lemons. If my entire viewfinder was filled with branches and leaves the photo would have felt busy and cluttered. I feel like I have more control over the composition when I give the tree some breathing room. This assignment taught me that “negative” space is truly a part of the photograph.

The objective of this assignment was to create an image centered around loneliness through centered composition. That was my objective when taking this picture. I wanted my father to be directly in the center, cut off by the empty space around him to make the photo feel very secluded and peaceful. While he is sitting in his home in his comfy chair, the emptiness of the background and lack of action makes you feel lonely, tying into the prompt requirement of loneliness.

What I was thinking about when taking this picture was more about emotion rather than action. My father is completely focused on what’s on his laptop screen. This small thing creates distance between him and the audience, giving him that lonely vibe. This assignment made me understand that you don’t always need dark shadows on a screaming person to convey emotion in a photo. My objective wasn’t to make people feel sad when looking at my picture. I simply wanted to capture loneliness in a normal, everyday way, and centering my picture allowed me to do so.

The image uses a contemporary menorah as a means of exploring a sense of visual and conceptual balance in the performance of holiday ritual, as well as a more personal resonance that this piece is the design of my father, and that he designed it over several months. It is a triangular object balanced against its forward lean by a single brass leg and candle holder. The asymmetric physical balance and placement suggests a considered intentional weight which is then counterpoised by the continued presence of familiar and stable traditions, even as those traditions may shift over time. The warm, soft light in the scene reinforces the sense that the ritual of lighting candles during Hanukkah exists in quotidian, rather than curated spaces, as does the simple wooden tabletop. The physical act of lighting the menorah year after year also becomes a part of the tradition in and of itself as my father’s labor and craftsmanship in bending the metal is what literally upholds the candles we light.

The image above uses the brick pathway as a leading line which draws the viewer’s eyes directly to the subject. I took this photo with the intention of having the bricks create a sort of “channel” in the frame that would lead the viewer towards the subject. The pattern of the bricks in the foreground also creates a strong contrast with the soft bushes in the background, giving emphasis to the composition. In addition, I also wanted to add some sort of everyday human element to the picture, so I decided to have my model check his phone as he was walking on the path. I had my brother as a model for this shot – he is actually a previous student of Freestyle. I set my camera to manual and chose my settings so that the bright sunlight in the background would contrast more with the shadows on the ground and the pathway. This helps to define the pathway a lot more and add to the effect of the leading lines.

This photo is what is resonating with me today: an odd sense of calm that is precarious. I chose this photo because it evokes a quiet tension. In the center, there is a bright, healthy, standing plant. On either side, there are two symmetrical, brown rolls of toilet paper. Simple, almost soothing objects. But their color: both rolls are closer in texture and shape to the trees they were when cut, still raw and coarse. The earthy color of death. They are both made of the plant’s ancestors, stripped and beaten and softened into use. The image is a metaphor for the way we sanitize violence. Symmetrical, it suggests peace. But at its center, the truth: life engulfed by its remains. That’s how I feel today: balanced, but also with something else underneath. Something not quite right. Beautiful, but also lost. The image holds both.