Exercise 15 - Positioning a Point

Following the guidance in the folder, whilst waiting for feedback from assignment 1, I have moved onto the second section of the module and completed the exercise focused on positioning a point.


The script for the task asked for three photographs concerning single points that are placed in either the centre of the frame, slightly off centre and to the edge.
I took a trip to Salford Quays as I didn't want to do a macro shot as that felt like cheating, I didn't want to shoot anything hanging on a wall and finding a single point with a plain surrounding was quite tricky.


I headed to the Quays hoping for boats or birds in the water which would allow for easy composition and a strong graphic relationship within the frame.


Edge of Frame

I took this photo using my telephoto lens as the rowers were quite far away from the quayside and moving quite quickly. Their motion was the deciding factor as to where in the frame they would appear but I still managed to compose it so that they were top left as it would seem too accidental if the boat appeared top right, the earlier panning exercises helped capture this shot.


In photoshop, I added the red lines to show the division of the frame and how the single point creates a vertical and horizontal line. There is a sense of movement from the boat from it's positioning to the edges as it is closer to the top of the frame than the right hand side.


Off Centre

The duck house is a strong point in this photo. I was initially worried that the lines of the wall, and in the reflection, would pull focus away from the duck house as a single point. Fortunately the interesting angles of the house are enough to keep the focus of the single point.
The invisible division is strengthened by the post supporting the duckhouse. There is a slight sense of movement but it is linked to the water ripples rather than the single point itself.


Central


This was a slightly more difficult choice as my first image is my preference but I'm not sure that it works particularly well.

The central point, the woman looking over the bridge is dead centre, but only of the frame. She is stood to the edge of the bridge railing and as such is not central to the frame of the bridge, the triangular shape in the background. Now,I think this is a successful image, as the folder states, centred points create static images which are often displeasing to the eye, but despite being a central point, the woman still feels dynamic because of her eye line, the triangle of the bridge frame work, the curve of the bridge rail leading the eye in and the various lines running through the image. But as much as I am pleased with it, it does not satisfy the requirements of the task, so here is an alternative shot today:

This image is a much more static centred point. The house dominates the focus and, with the help of the line of bushes, splits the image equally.

Having read the sections in The Photographer's Eye on lines, curves, diagonals etc I can see the use that single points have in dividing the frame, but I'm also anticipating using more sophisticated graphical elements in future shots.

As my accessible areas are quite busy and detailed, I did have difficulty finding interesting single points.