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Writer's pictureAmber Houbara

P | P1 | EX4 : Frame

The final exercise of this project makes use of the viewfinder grid display of a digital camera. This function projects a grid onto the viewfinder screen to help align vertical and horizontal lines, such as the horizon or the edge of a building, with the edge of the frame. Please check your camera manual (or Google search) for how to display the grid in your viewfinder. If your camera doesn’t have a grid display, just imagine a simple division of the viewfinder into four sections.


Take a good number of shots, composing each shot within a single section of the viewfinder grid. Don’t bother about the rest of the frame! Use any combination of grid section, subject and viewpoint you choose.


When you review the shots evaluate the whole frame not just the part you’ve composed. Looking at a frame calmly and without hurry may eventually reveal a visual coalescence, a ‘gestalt’.

Gestalt: an organised whole perceived as more than a sum of its parts. (Google Search using the define: operator)




 

Doing this exercise was interesting, I usually photograph what I like and think is interesting or beautiful, and don't think too much about the composition, I just go by my natural feel. I noticed I had areas within the composition which were more natural then others, for example the exact center of the frame was probably my last shot.


I wanted to do the exercise with a bit of spontaneity so without looking up Gestalt before taking photos. I also wanted to challenge myself and see what I can create with the forest near my house, without repeating too many similar elements.


I took photos and then got back home to upload and review them on my laptop.

I have heard about Gestalt before but I wanted to finally get to the bottom of it so I googled and found this great video which explained to me very well about all the different elements of Gestalt.






Perhaps the composition here matches the law of closure.



Here I was more concerned about the silver box and where it is in my composition, while naturally creating the composition without much thinking, however I can see the way the path is winding brings some elements of a way of direction - the law of common fate (even though there is no object moving on the path, I feel it is still brining a feeling of direction).

Also the way the colors of the lawn & the forest trees, the path & the sky - combine together to 'the law of similarity'.



Here I felt this photo wasn't good so I decided to not use it in my final sheet.



Here also the law of similarity, having the brownish colours of the grass and branches while the bushes are green.

I think the image could be better without the electricity pole at the back



I feel the shapes of the leaves and the shapes of the spikes of the bush are creating something interesting, I think this again falls into the law of similarity.



Here I was focusing on the flower of course, but it is very obvious again I was creating a shot with the law of similarity with the trees.


I feel here there is also a bit of an illusion of the heights in the photo.

Again also the law of similarity.




Here the white fungus is a positive space.



Law of similarity with the colours.



Law of similarity and positive and negative space, also a sense of direction with the law of common fate.








 

Select six or eight images that you feel work both individually and as a set and present them as a single composite image. Add to your learning log together with technical information such as camera settings and two or three lines containing your thoughts and observations.


I feel like these 6 images work so well together as all together they have the law of similarity from Gestalt.

I feel like they also tell a story of the forest and the shapes colors and objects look cohesive together.

I had my camera on auto focus but was playing with the settings as I was going along, I can't tell exactly what I was changing but I feel like when I took these images I didn't have to change much as the lightings were similar. most of them are either 400-800 ISO as it was shot just before golden hour.


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