Visual Elements of Photography
LIGHT QUALITY
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DESCRIPTION
Light quality describes the source, amount, and direction of lighting in a photograph. Light can come from natural sources, like the sun. It can be altered or created by humans, by using such as flash bulbs or lamps. It can also be diffused by clouds or by humans putting a veil of cloth over a lamp. The direction of light is also important when looking at photographs: it can come from behind, above, or one side. Bright dim, cloudy, directional, diffused, and flash are some terms used to describe lighting. |
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
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TEXTURE
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DESCRIPTION
Texture is how the surface of an object appears to feel or actually feels to the touch. Texture can be described as rough, smooth, soft, etc. Texture is shown in photographs by the way the light falls on an object through value changes. The paper on which the photograph is made also determines texture. |
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
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FOCUS
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DESCRIPTION
Focus is the sharpness of clarity of subjects in the photographic image. Soft focus is created when a photographer manipulates the camera to achieve blurry, gentle edges. Photographers use the aperture (lens opening) ad limitations of the lens to create sharp detail, soft edges, or both; this is called selective focus. |
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
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ANGLE OF VIEW
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DESCRIPTION
Angle of view is the position from where the photographer took the picture? A photographer can point the camera from below, above, or straight an object. In other artistic media, this is often called point of view. When looking for subjects, especially in nature, a photographer often shifts the angle of view to make interesting images. Angle of view can also express emotion or mood. It can give the viewer a sense of being small if looking up, or a sense of being big if looking down. |
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
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FRAMING / COMPOSITION
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DESCRIPTION
Framing is how a photographer carefully presents a subject. Unlike painters, who usually begin with a blank canvas, photographers begin with everything in front of them. Once a subject is found, a photographer decides what to include in the picture from. The photographer then composes the image to draw a viewer's attention to the subject in a way that best expresses the artist's idea of it. |
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
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COLOR
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DESCRIPTION
Artists use color to achieve many effects. Color gives viewers a sense of mood, place, and time of year. Color can also move the viewer's eye around a composition and create a sense of space on a flat surface. Some artists achieve very saturated (strong, intense) color in their images, while others intentionally use subdued or muted colors in their subject matter. |
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
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