Photography & Visual Design

Visual design is not about learning rules. It's about designing a photograph to reflect what you feel and see.

This workshop taught me to look beyond the labels we put on things, and really see the underlying design that is already there. It is this design that produces feelings of peace, harmony, and love or disharmony, anger, and sadness. It's about seeing the parts and the big picture.

Light is the basic raw material which allows us to see! Light produces contrasts of brightness and tones. Tones are described as light, middle, or dark. Contrasts of color are called hues. So, "light green" means light in tone and green in hue.

The direction of light determines its quality, from very harsh to soft. Indirect or diffused lighting, most often found at the beginning and end of a day, creates softness. Direct lighting, often found in the middle of the day, results in strong shadows and emphasizes lines, which is why portraits are not taken in the middle of the day. I find rainy or overcast days perfect for photographing because the color that is there really pops out. Harsh sunlight tends to wash out color. So, pay attention to the quality of light next time you are photographing.

It is really fun to start looking beyond the labels on things and see their underlying shape instead. Patterson says it means "seeing a tree, not just as a tree, but as a triangle. It means being aware that a particular human face or a rock is essentially an oval." These shapes change as you move your camera.

The primary shapes are circle, square, and equilateral or isosceles triangle. Secondary shapes include ovals, rectangles, and complex shapes, such as a maple leaf. Knowing how to arrange the shapes in the picture space is something that becomes intuitive - it just feels right.

Patterson uses an example of three circular rocks, arranged in the picture space so that they make a triangular shape. The rocks imply stability. Then, there is water flowing over the rocks. He slowed down the shutter speed so that the image of the water would suggest movement. Balancing stability and movement creates an effective image. See my photo of moving water and rocks below.

"Balancing these two basic ingredients - stability and dynamic, or order and change - can be as important in creating successful visual compositions as it is in life." - pg. 29

There are two kinds of lines - straight and curving. Straight lines imply a sense of purpose and stability. Oblique lines (not parallel or perpendicular) are dynamic, implying life, movement, change. Curving lines imply relaxation.

Patterson says "The skillful use of lines - in kind, number, direction, orientation, intensity, and width - makes for clear and effective expression." - pg. 39

I spent one day photographing all of the lines I could find in my house in new and interesting ways.

There are two types of texture, a surface suggesting the weave of a fabric OR the roughness or smoothness of surfaces. Patterson says that "when you diminish the strength of shapes and lines, you emphasize overall texture." - pg. 43

Spend a day noticing and photographing textures in your everyday landscape. Experiment with shutter speed (if the subject matter is moving), distance, and light.

Perspective has to do with how you represent depth or distance. According to Patterson, "the quickest and easiest way to create or enhance perspective is to distort or deform space - that is, to enlarge an object or area of your composition relative to another object or area." - pg. 45

Spend a day taking photographs from different perspectives. Lie on your back or stomach to photograph. Climb a ladder and shoot down. Highlight your subject in each of the corners of your picture space. Notice how light and color affect perspective.

Dominance means that one aspect of the image stands out more strongly than any other aspect. It is intended to be the major center of interest so the composition has to reflect that. There should be no competing elements. On the other hand, there does not always have to be a center of interest in a photograph, for example, when photographing texture.

Balance is so important to an image and to life! Often, when an image feels right and you're not sure why, it's because it has balance.

Patterson talks about two ways of achieving balance - symmetrically or asymmetrically. In a symmetrical photograph, everything in the image revolves around a central axis, whether horizontal or vertical. If an image is too symmetrical, it can be boring. In this case, it may need something out of order to add interest.

"Proportion has to do with the size of objects in the picture space." - pg. 68

Being aware of proportion has the potential to evoke feelings from the image. For example, my photo below of a couple photographing a sunset shows the vastness of the sky and the ocean and the smallness of the couple. They are obviously taking the time to appreciate the wonder all around them.

To me, rhythm is a little harder to define. According to Patterson, "Rhythm is a harmonious pattern characterized by the regular recurrence of strong and weak elements, usually lines and shapes. Rhythmic arrangements are both orderly and dynamic, providing overall structure on the one hand, and a feeling of movement on the other." - pg. 73

I purposely moved the camera up and down while shooting the tulips below. While there are orderly lines of tulips, there is also a feeling of movement.

The book ends by emphasizing the importance of evaluating your photographs and suggestions for assignments you can do at home to create better visual design.

It is so important to evaluate your photographs, especially the ones you really like and the ones you really dislike. Look for the basic building blocks and see why they work or don't work. You may find that you learn a lot about yourself in doing this exercise. The photograph says a lot about the photographer.

Here is a sampling of assignments that Patterson suggests but you can easily come up with your own, based on your interests.

* One hour to make 36 different compositions of a tree, lake, building, friend, etc.
* Photograph something you have an aversion to - a pile of junk, your son's bedroom, a dirty factory, etc.
* Photograph something in a way that you can't tell what it is, i.e. the uncanoeness of canoes.
* Take one of the building blocks and photograph as much as you can in a day. One day, I photographed all of the lines I could find in my home.
* Another time, I took a blank CD and photographed it each day for 30 days in a different place or with a different angle.

Good luck on your journey!

Photo: Freeman Patterson, with my friend Carol on the left and me on the right.

Freeman Patterson is an expert at seeing. A prolific author, he writes as well as he photographs. He lives at Shamper's Bluff, New Brunswick, near where he grew up. His educational background includes a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University in New York, with his master's thesis topic as: Still Photography As A Medium Of Religious Expression.

Freeman worked as a teacher and photographer for many years and then returned to New Brunswick in 1973 to establish a photography workshop. He teaches several week-long classes every year in New Brunswick, southern Africa, and other parts of the world.

He has donated his property on Shamper's Bluff to the Nature Conservancy for an ecological reserve and education area.

Learn more at his website.

Photo: Andre Gallant with me and Carol.

André Gallant is a freelance photographer who co-teaches with Freeman Patterson. He also travels the world and captures the most amazing photographs, especially his "Dreamscapes." He has authored many books, contributes to numerous magazines and lectures throughout Canada, the US and internationally.

Learn more at his website.