Assignment 2: Elements of Design

The purpose of this assignment was to incorporate the techniques and learning from what I had worked on so far into a set of photographs that were all directed towards one subject.

Having taken a week’s holiday during October this year and visited France, I chose to use the subject of Monet’s house and garden to the west of Paris known as Giverny. I had been to Giverny before and was well aware of the gardens which are a main feature of the property and an inspiration to Monet in his paintings. I wasn’t entirely sure that I would be able to capture all the elements that were asked for in the assignment - and in one or two cases, I was not as satisfied with the results as I am in others. However, the explanations for these are below.

There are two parts to Monet’s garden – a flower garden called Clos Normand and a Japanese inspired water garden. There was significant contrast between the two – which are separated by a road – the flower garden showed strong signs of wintering and it looked like there had been some frost in the previous days as many of the flowers and plants were damaged and/or dying. As a result, the colours in the flower garden were more restrained.

The water garden, however, was much lusher and the colours in the photographs show up more strongly.

The following is a brief analysis of the photographs for this assignment which, as usual, can be found on my Flikr account:

• Single Point Dominating The Composition: the first image is of a wheelbarrow and was actually the first thing I saw when I stepped into the flower garden. The barrow dominates the shot with the eye going straight to it.

• Two Points: Using the wheelbarrow again, I also included this time a tree which was standing in the same space. The tree is more dominant and I wondered if the wheelbarrow would become ‘lost’ with the background bedding but I don’t think this is the case and the two points are definitely marked.

• Several Points In A Deliberate Shape: I had the most difficulty with this effect and I am not as satisfied with this photograph. If anything, I spent more time trying to find a subject for this particular effect than any of the other photographs. There is an element of the triangle in between the three closed flower heads.

• Combination Of Vertical And Horizontal Lines: for this photograph, I used the horizontal trellising and contrasted this with the vertical hanging branches of the tree behind. The chain railings together with the green bench help to highlight the horizontal lines in the picture.

• Diagonals: these are implied through the linear perspective of the pathway in between the two very wide flower beds. I feel the diagonals are also accentuated by the framing of the overhanging trellis and the green chain across the front of the photograph.

• Curves: Giverny is famous for the Japanese bridges that cross the waterways and I took a number of photographs of these. I chose this particular shot as there is the curve of the pathway but more importantly the handle rail which the eye follows across.

• Distinct, Even If Irregular, Shapes: I’m unsure as to what type of snail this is but suspect, as it was so close to the water’s edge on a reed, that this was its habitat. The snail’s shape is very distinct and completely recognisable. To complement this, I have also included a photograph of the water lillies which again have a distinct shape in their roundness. Even collectively, each individual leaf stands out.

• At Least Two Kinds Of Implied Triangle: my first shot is an implied triangle made up of three very bright yellow flowers. As mentioned in my opening paragraph, any colour in this part of the garden was quite unusual especially as so much else of the garden was dead or dying. (This was the last few days of the public opening this season.) The second photograph has an implied triangle from the way that the branches of a plant reached up inversing the shape.

• Rhythm: I took this from the house which was part covered in plants but which had a series of green shutters all the way down together with a number of young trees held up by posts that created a sense of rhythm for me. In reality, if I could have taken the shot from a full-on position I think with hindsight this might have been better.

• Pattern: I focused into this plant which, with its series of leaves and berries, provides a pattern albeit irregular.

November 2010

Completion of Part Two - Elements of Design

Again, there has been a bit of a time lapse since my last learning journal entry but, as before, I have been doing quite a lot of photography in and amongst a quite heavy workload and considerable travel for work.

I completed the remaining exercises in the unit looking mainly at shape (including triangles) and rhythm and pattern and have also completed the Assignment for this unit (which will feature separately).

I have been aware of the use of implied triangles in some of the work I had been doing around portraiture and especially when there are three or more people in the group. The exercise to take a series of photographs that represented real and implied triangles wasn't quite so easy. However, these are included on my Flikr site.

The final exercise concerned rhythm and pattern which I enjoyed doing. For rhythm, I spotted some tall grasses blowing in the wind outside our house. I liked the way that each blade of the grass flower moved together with each other as if they were one. I took a number of shots of these but the best, which I feel gives a great sense of rhythm is below.

For Pattern, we were staying at a rented house in the Cotswolds and one of the rooms had a book case in loaded with books of all sizes. I took a number of photographs cropped tightly into the book case and making sure that the edges of the case did not show. Again, I was pleased with the result (below).

Overall, the unit has again helped to observe more closely my surroundings and think constantly as to what it would look like as a photograph as well as improving my overall composition technique.