Elements of design: Project - points

Exercise: The relationship between points

Aim: The aim of this exercise is to examine the relationship between two points in a frame.

Approach and results:

For this exercise I wanted to find two isolated objects if possible.  As the exercise description states, this is not as easy as it sounds.  Trying to find examples in the city centre made me realise how very little space is left unused.  I eventually found the examples detailed below.  One point to note is that there was rarely more than one angle that would allow me to isolate the two points in any of the images.

This first image is part of a sculpture, not exactly an everyday occurrence but one of the few isolated images I could find.  The two points are both metal silhouettes of people but the foreground point is larger and is the first point my eye picked up.  Then my eye moved to the second point at which point I started to establish a relationship between the two points. 

F2.8  1/200sec  ISO200

This second image was taken in a local park.  Again it is the larger of the two points that grabs your initial attention followed by the bench.  This example is more natural and the points are entirely different objects.  However, it provokes the same reaction as the previous image despite the fact that in real life the bench is larger than the bin.  This suggests that the photographer can emphasise a hierarchical relationship between subjects through placement. 

F9  1/20sec  ISO800

The third image was taken in an alleyway in the city centre.  It was lit with a pattern of Art Deco lights.  In this example I defocused the 'smaller' light to see if it still remained as a relevant point in the image and I think it does. 

F2.8  1/60sec  ISO200

A special case where points attract equal attention can be demonstrated by the following close up of someones face.  The eyes play equal roles in this image creating tension and giving an almost eery feeling.  

Learning points:

The objects size in the frame appears to be a dominant factor in the relationship between the two points an not the objects actual size.
The frame plays a far less important role in these examples, almost acting purely as a means of isolating the two points.