tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4682024632815716902024-02-20T08:56:06.151+00:00Beautiful ThingsCaptivating insight - Composing relationships - Communicating emotion - Compelling Art<br>
<i>...a Swashbuckling Odyssey across the Briny Deeps of Visual Composition</i>loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-26125673977249269142013-09-07T11:33:00.000+01:002013-09-19T11:45:18.841+01:00"The Calling of Saint Matthew", Contarelli Chapel, Chiesa Di San Luigi Dei Francesi, Rome<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuB3r-c1qALZ8hyphenhyphenKtN1AqMiKk-J99OJIN1lN2yzoPwbwfnDOyko5yKaV1QEflQc-pE5rrN6MbXQ-rVKD8qVQDiYZiIOzF0DNAm2RwDiGX_juOewIP6vpHMsN6meIZIy_VEk9GmjDPH7U/s1600/P1090904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuB3r-c1qALZ8hyphenhyphenKtN1AqMiKk-J99OJIN1lN2yzoPwbwfnDOyko5yKaV1QEflQc-pE5rrN6MbXQ-rVKD8qVQDiYZiIOzF0DNAm2RwDiGX_juOewIP6vpHMsN6meIZIy_VEk9GmjDPH7U/s640/P1090904.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2012 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
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<b>Concepts:</b> Chiaroscuro (Emphasising outline); Chiaroscuro (Secondary patterns); Exposure (High contrast)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> In "The
Calling of Saint Matthew", Jesus (far right) calls upon Matthew, then Levi the tax collector
(central figure behind the table), much to the surprise of the gathered. This painting is a fabulous exemplar of Caravaggio's use of light.in defining and emphasising the use of outline. The high contrast is used compositionally in directing the viewer's gaze - a similar effect can be achieved with the control of exposure (also to high contrast) in photography. Notice also the shaft of actual light coming into the chapel from above; a secondary reinforcement to the primary shaft in the painting.<br />
<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" tabindex="0"><br /></span>
<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" tabindex="0"><b>Title:</b> --</span>loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0San Luigi dei Francesi, Via Santa Giovanna D'Arco, 5, 00186 Rome, Italy41.899569 12.47482809999996816.3775345 -28.833765900000031 67.4216035 53.783422099999967tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-84880159630483785082013-09-06T11:26:00.000+01:002013-09-19T11:49:06.212+01:0004.01 Chiaroscuro<i>Chiaroscuro</i> is an Italian expression which can be translated literally as "light-dark" and arose out of its use in painting - where subjects in dark scenes were dramatically illuminated using shafts of light. <i>Chiaroscuro</i>, as an approach, is an effective means of providing the contrast essential to good composition where it:<br />
<ol>
<li>establishes tonal relationships;</li>
<li>conveys dimensionality;</li>
<li>determines compositional structure; and</li>
<li>highlights areas of visual importance</li>
</ol>
Johannes Itten described <i>chiaroscuro</i> as "one of the most expressive and important means of composition" [in "The Photographer's Eye" by Michael Freeman (2007), page 110]. Compositional devices involving the application of <i>chiaroscuro</i> include:<br />
<ul>
<li>crating ambiguity</li>
<li>emphasising outline</li>
<li>formation of primary patterns through caustics (<i>i.e.</i> reflected or refracted patterns of light)</li>
<li>reinforcement of secondary patterns <i>e.g.</i> sunlight dappling an already-dappled forest floor</li>
</ul>
loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-77671603549366608132013-09-01T12:25:00.000+01:002013-09-19T11:48:23.219+01:0003.16 ExposureExposure, the amount of light allowed to impact photosensitive material for photographic reproduction, is often perceived to have a 'correct' role. There is an element of truth in this perception because of the technical limits set by:<br />
<ol>
<li>what is visible;</li>
<li>the range of sensitivity of the photo-receptive medium (film or photo-sensor); and</li>
<li>the expected appearance of the subject.</li>
</ol>
However, 'correctness' is modulated by the aesthetic considerations which do impact on how the technical boundaries are interpreted, for example: an over-exposed bleached look, or an under-exposed saturated image. The artistic interpretation of light is fundamental to the visual arts, and a solid understanding of the properties of light interpretation is core to the artist.<br />
<br />
<b>Exposure can concentrate or diffuse attention</b><br />
The viewer's eye gravitates towards areas of perceptually 'normal' exposure from regions of underexposed dark and overexposed bright. Therefore:<br />
<ul>
<li>higher contrast directs the eye; whereas</li>
<li>lower contrast lends the eye greater freedom to roam over the entire surface.</li>
</ul>
A photographic phenomenon which directs the eye is vignetting - wide-angle lenses can concentrate more light in the centre of the image field than the periphery <i>i.e.</i> exposure increases radially inward. Thus a vignette draws attention towards the centre of the frame.<br />
<br />
<b>Exposure affects the perception of form</b><br />
High contrast conditions break up the visual continuity of form, whereas low contrast conditions preserve it. Take, for example, two horizontal elements: one above and at an angle to the other, illuminated from above. High contrast will mean that the continuous form of the lower element will be visually broken by dark shadow cast by the upper element. Low contrast would allow the lower element still to be seen as intact with the casting of a lighter shadow.<br />
<br />
<b>Exposure affects colour saturation</b><br />
Over-exposure leads to desaturated (muted, bleached, washed-out) colours. The practice of exposing to keep the highlights within the range of the film - the dominant procedure still today - came about with the introduction of Kodak's Kodachrome film in 1935. Kodachrome was intolerant of overexposure, but rewarded underexposure with rich saturated colours. 'Exposing for the highlights' is still relevant in the world of digital photography because overexposure results in unattractive digital clipping. In this respect, digital sensors share similar limitations to Kodachrome (discontinued in 2009).<br />
<br />
<b>Graphical features of exposure</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Silhouettes</b> are the result from complete underexposure of the foreground, denying any foreground detail so that the outline of the dark shape tells the story.</li>
<li><b>Flares</b> also deny detail, but are achieved through overexposure, and are commonly used to unify or increase the activity of a composition.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-3660542034444152562013-08-26T16:07:00.003+01:002013-08-26T16:08:36.227+01:00The Rape of Polyxena, Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudR7O5MOZUCc9q-guhrsRmyoq8vmYbh-ud6u5JvBGlE1OXJsZ9s0XEk4-Zlb6BKrzRuY5hZpOVWRJ2bVY24zmo4PR4uWq9Uwm4KH5po1sIVDQDbnVermonF95ctfruKNxF25dZCRCZdc/s1600/IMG_3789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudR7O5MOZUCc9q-guhrsRmyoq8vmYbh-ud6u5JvBGlE1OXJsZ9s0XEk4-Zlb6BKrzRuY5hZpOVWRJ2bVY24zmo4PR4uWq9Uwm4KH5po1sIVDQDbnVermonF95ctfruKNxF25dZCRCZdc/s640/IMG_3789.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2013 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
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<b>Concept:</b> Dynamic tension (single object); Content (weak)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> 'The Rape of Polyxena' (1865) by Pio Fedi is a stunning sculptural group with a dynamic diagonal arrangement. It does not privilege a specific viewpoint. The sculpture alone is a masterpiece of dynamic tension, and it would have conveyed this on its own against a plain dark background.<br />
<br />
So the philosophical question is, "is the image itself an example of dynamic tension, or is it simply a straight-ahead image of a subject possessing dynamic tension?" After all, if we imagine 'The Rape of Polyxena' on its own, we can see a complex of actual (body-line) and implied (eyeline) diagonals, and a single continuous spiral comprised of the two struggling female bodies - Queen Hecuba (below) and her daughter Polyxena of Troy - wrapped around the core of Neoptolomos, son of Achilles, standing over the slain prince Polites.<br />
<br />
To answer that we'd have to look at the relationship of the subject with its environment. The regular pattern of the <i>Uffizi</i>'s façade, positioned behind the sculpture on the right, provides a frame for Polyxena's outline to pull against. The brightly-illuminated arch over <i>Via della Ninna</i> on the left emphasises the desperate curve of Hecuba. From this angle, the strong directional chiaroscuro lighting emphasises the diagonals of form; and the intersection of the bottom frame with Polites' torso implies a continuation of that diagonal to infinity.<br />
<br />
<b>Title:</b> Polyxena mineloo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0Loggia Dei Lanzi, Piazza della Signoria, 50121 Florence, Italy43.7691968 11.2555595999999718.247162300000003 -30.05303440000003 69.2912313 52.564153599999969tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-29502962544012481532013-08-25T09:50:00.000+01:002013-08-26T16:10:08.845+01:0002.04 Dynamic tensionRather than thinking of images in terms of static balance, dynamic balance or imbalance, a different conceptual approach can be used to arrange elements in a way which energises the eye and leads it from the centre of the frame outwards.<br />
<br />
Dynamic tension makes use of the energy inherent in structures; and compositionally locates them in positions where their energies pull or vector away from each other, most potently in highly contrasting directions. The achievement of dynamic tension is straightforward - the challenge, however, is to use it in a manner which does comes across as natural and with enduring appeal.<br />
<br />
Images based on dynamic tension commonly incorporate a variety of contrasting diagonals; counter-lines, curving or straight; and vectors, real or implied. Overarching self-stabilising or enclosing structures, such as ellipses, are generally avoided as they resolve tension within the image.loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-89270385180731890142013-08-23T21:24:00.000+01:002013-08-26T15:25:22.009+01:00Apse of Chiesa di Ognissanti, Florence, Italy<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0AYRZ-4SFVEcqC3L4ixonZKQL3kAaMHRrH3rzXdoOx_bVQSc1UqxGV1Uup6Cl5bxCLD_xw_SKGLs-CA9zRHFdgVBRXWiXinWpz2X5yJUxfOJAikyoQYiGq8hjuOen4ZJDa1QjjRLf3M/s1600/IMG_3643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0AYRZ-4SFVEcqC3L4ixonZKQL3kAaMHRrH3rzXdoOx_bVQSc1UqxGV1Uup6Cl5bxCLD_xw_SKGLs-CA9zRHFdgVBRXWiXinWpz2X5yJUxfOJAikyoQYiGq8hjuOen4ZJDa1QjjRLf3M/s640/IMG_3643.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2013 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
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<b>Concept:</b> Vectors (diagonals)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> A simple example of a diagonal vector used to balance an image. Taken with a wide-angle lens, the three gold-red-gold lines of the carpet emerge from the bottom-right corner of the frame to converge at the chancel, drawing attention to the steps and lower front of the altar. The positional vector of the carpet serves to counterweight the lectern in the lower-left corner, without which the image would be unbalanced.<br />
<br />
<b>Title:</b> Optical Trinityloo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0Ognissanti, Borgo Ognissanti, 42, 50123 Florence, Italy43.7725215 11.24558009999998443.772163000000006 11.244949599999984 43.77288 11.246210599999984tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-35326825168514054652013-08-22T12:42:00.000+01:002013-08-26T15:27:18.644+01:0003.11 VectorsThe eye likes to follow a line, or even the hint of one.<br />
<br />
Visual composition makes use of this by directing the viewer's gaze from an obvious point of interest to a less obvious one, through the use of a joining line (or lines) possessed of movement and momentum. These connecting linear graphical elements - they must have a strong sense of direction and movement - are called vectors.<br />
<br />
Vectoring is achieved compositionally through:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Diagonals</b><br />These are the most energetic of straight lines. It there are many of them, and if they converge, then the vector is stronger.</li>
<li><b>Curves</b><br />These lines have flow, pace, and even acceleration if they have a decreasing radius.</li>
<li><b>Implied lines</b><br />As created by the Gestalt joining of dots, edges of forms or shadows. These vectors are weaker, but may be the only possible alternative when real lines are unavailable.</li>
<li><b>Representations of movement</b><br />A viewer's eye 'reads ahead' of an object in motion. Hence an image of: a person walking, a swooping falcon, a speeding car, or a falling apple, drives the gaze along the same direction.</li>
<li><b>Orientation</b><br />Objects recognisably associated with movement: trains, cars, horses, and arrows can vector just by the direction they face.<br /> </li>
</ul>
(note: visual vectors, in this case, differ from the strict definition of vectors in physics which must have both magnitude and direction - curves are not vectors because of changing direction.)loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-79147727031804430812013-08-18T13:55:00.000+01:002013-08-18T14:14:55.813+01:00The Chancel Windows, Cappella Tornabuoni, Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, Florence<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjEYC2vEaxAcNjBbrDHy64ez2-vU9IHStK7UciPle5onXQCAeeBAr0e8Oi0fhlb_a0CNJtSjkLZaq65FBR9UHkE2hm-lxt6-OI-kRTulJrHKUsPxe874XspAhbl6nI6Jkic-pM-UlMpk/s1600/IMG_3224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjEYC2vEaxAcNjBbrDHy64ez2-vU9IHStK7UciPle5onXQCAeeBAr0e8Oi0fhlb_a0CNJtSjkLZaq65FBR9UHkE2hm-lxt6-OI-kRTulJrHKUsPxe874XspAhbl6nI6Jkic-pM-UlMpk/s640/IMG_3224.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2013 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
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<b>Concept:</b> Gestalt perception (area/segregation/symmetry); Figure and ground (increasing interest)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> An exposure set to display the detail of Ghirlandaio's stunning stained glass window design puts everything else into shade. The windows, recessed into the back wall of the basilica, are advanced to the foreground; while the surrounding wall, the side of the main altar (very close to us on the immediate right) and my fellow admirers are optically receded into a background.<br />
<br />
The phenomena at work are: tonal perspective (relative brightness); colour perspective; and the Gestalt principles of area, symmetry and segregation.<br />
<br />
<b>Title:</b> Windows of the Tornabuoniloo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0Museo di Santa Maria Novella, Piazza Santa Maria Novella, 509122 Florence, Italy43.774297999999987 11.24936700000000718.252263499999987 -30.059226999999993 69.296332499999991 52.557961000000006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-55473884284927630612013-08-17T11:35:00.000+01:002013-08-18T13:20:31.402+01:0002.05 Figure and groundThe term 'figure and ground' simply refers to:<br />
<ol>
<li>The figure - the subject of interest, usually in the foreground</li>
<li>The ground - the context in which the subject is located, usually the background.</li>
</ol>
We understand naturally that objects have their settings, and are able to distinguish foreground objects from background objects. Perceptual mechanisms for distinguishing which items are advancing and which others are receding include:<br />
<ul>
<li>Gestalt perception's 'Principle of Area'</li>
<li>Gestalt perception's 'Principle of Symmetry'</li>
<li>Gestalt perception's 'Principle of Segregation'</li>
<li>Colour perspective</li>
<li>Tonal perspective</li>
<li>Perspectival sharpness</li>
</ul>
Understanding how these perceptual mechanisms work allows a compositor to play with the viewer's sense of depth, creating ambiguity through figure-ground inversions. This involves minimising the levels of realistic detail in the foreground, and increasing the activity of negative space. In practice,<br />
<ol>
<li>the image should be just bi-tonal - commonly, one is the black of deep shadow;</li>
<li>the areas of the two tones should be as equal as possible (negating the 'Principle of Area');</li>
<li>reducing foreground/background cues such as comparative brightness (tonal perspective);</li>
<li>emphasising regular silhouettes towards the background / de-emphasising regular silhouettes of the foreground.</li>
</ol>
Figure-ground ambiguity is an approach to creating optical tension, increasing interest, and, to a lesser extent, delay through a degree of abstraction.loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-213268406048000432013-08-11T13:49:00.001+01:002013-08-11T13:49:55.501+01:00The Young Man of Tachileik<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4wf397ZqVXvYEB5egCgZb4aY7jBkF0xtgXlDMWNtYspRG8T449xKUrdlE-YaZLAHsZypUpzWz8Z1Auh6l-40FsISHkhmBwCgLyTyuUm9qva7XCnEb1BscffgsARFBEDTfjgq5DNwkDQ/s1600/P1030179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4wf397ZqVXvYEB5egCgZb4aY7jBkF0xtgXlDMWNtYspRG8T449xKUrdlE-YaZLAHsZypUpzWz8Z1Auh6l-40FsISHkhmBwCgLyTyuUm9qva7XCnEb1BscffgsARFBEDTfjgq5DNwkDQ/s640/P1030179.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2009 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
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<b>Concept:</b> Visual weight (face/emotional); Reactive (reactive shooting); Balance (dynamic equilibrium)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> In Northern Thailand on an agricultural fact-finding mission, we took some time out to cross over into the border town of Tachileik in the Shan state of Eastern Myanmar. While touring a village neighbourhood, I sensed the young man's curiosity and quickly pulled out my camera, turned to my left and took the moment before he hid his face.<br />
<br />
The strong visual weight of his face and expression is augmented by the print and colour of his tunic. The framing is an example of visual weight balanced dynamically with energetic diagonals and negative space.<br />
<br />
<b>Title:</b> The Young Masterloo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0Tachileik, Burma20.45 99.883333320.390496499999998 99.8026523 20.5095035 99.9640143tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-50129210040944459592013-08-10T13:08:00.000+01:002013-08-18T11:00:31.043+01:0002.13 Looking and the effect of interestThe small area of optical acuity (3% of the central field) of the human eye means that our eyes need to flick from place to place, taking in visual snap-shots (saccades) which our brain composites into its interpretation of the whole. The process of looking - the pathway traced, and the duration of each saccade - comes in two tasty flavours: spontaneous and questing.<br />
<br />
<b>Spontaneous</b> (<i>i.e.</i> when we're just taking it all in)<br />
In this mode our scan-pattern is light and 'flaky' - flitting to points of novelty, sophistication and congruity. Visual weight is an important determinant, where the heaviness of attractants is modulated by factors such as the instinctual <i>e.g.</i> eyes and lips; and cultural <i>e.g.</i> colour, geometry and symbols.<br />
<br />
<b>Questing</b> ( <i>i.e.</i> when we're actively looking for a piece of information)<br />
When we are looking for one or more particular pieces of information, the way we look changes. Hence our state of mind, in this case the expectation of finding something, influences the way we look even before we begin the process. We weight visual elements informationally, according to how important we think they are as clues to what we expect to find, consciously overriding visual weight.<br />
<br />
Creators in the visual arts believe they can direct the viewer's eye; 'Intended Order' is a founding premise in visual composition. However although there is broad agreement amongst viewers as to which parts of a composition carry information, the interpretation and weighting of that information is modulated by each viewer's life experiences.<br />
<br />
And for compositors, Michael Freemen makes an interesting comment that "most people decide quite quickly what they think is important and/or interesting in an image, and go on looking at those parts" (in '<i>The Photographer's Eye</i>' page 60). In other words, viewers re-scan the same informational points instead of looking at new parts.loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-30219683574079987092013-08-09T11:34:00.000+01:002013-08-10T15:14:54.393+01:00March of the Sunflowers, Classe, Emilia Romagna<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzTXve318U6Ie0VjG9MtSMUJoZPTqrx1CHSPAO-AunWCzEKQcywfflPUOcnhQBmUlDMkQ7iEkkIrzIpAjl9RYGVqUKKtB75GUK8qrMOH_Cz2tFt512FaH6sfEk2iECGdZU23_7hB7NXM/s1600/sunflowers_cropped02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzTXve318U6Ie0VjG9MtSMUJoZPTqrx1CHSPAO-AunWCzEKQcywfflPUOcnhQBmUlDMkQ7iEkkIrzIpAjl9RYGVqUKKtB75GUK8qrMOH_Cz2tFt512FaH6sfEk2iECGdZU23_7hB7NXM/s640/sunflowers_cropped02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: xx-small;">Photograph Copyright ©2013 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></td></tr>
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<b>Concept:</b> Many (implying endless); Cartesian lines (horizontal); Lines (implication); Gestalt (continuity)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> It was a balmy summer evening, walking back to Ravenna from the Basilica of Saint Apollinaris in Classe, when I found the road lined with sunflowers. The clear green furrow in a vista of bright yellow petals with the flowers facing the houses in the distance, reminded me of a parade field of troops lined up for inspection.<br />
<br />
From a low angle of perspective, chaotic groupings of many things are resolved by the eye into horizontal lines, the groups being joined together by the Gestalt Principle of Continuation. Framing the shot within the field's boundaries makes the flowers seem to extend sideways forever.<br />
<br />
<b>Title:</b> March of the Sunflowersloo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com048124 Classe Ravenna, Italy44.381774 12.2339050000000544.359075 12.193564500000051 44.404473 12.274245500000049tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-87694155727419084352013-08-04T11:54:00.000+01:002013-08-10T11:52:08.906+01:0002.09 ManyBetween the single unit and inseparable mass of texture lies 'many'. Many occurs at a largest scale where the form of individual components are still discernable. Thus content plays a stronger role in many than in pattern or texture.<br />
<br />
An characteristic of 'many' to varying degrees is the element of surprise; of seeing so many things in one place, such as the flocking of flamingos in crater lakes; the clustering of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly">monarch butterflies</a> on oyamel trees in Mexico; or the human pilgrimage of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbh_Mela">Kumbh Mela</a>. Large numbers imply a great occasion or event.<br />
<br />
The conventional approach to composing with 'many' is to frame within the boundaries of the aggregation to imply that there is no limit to its extent.loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-78779382670743994722013-08-03T12:28:00.000+01:002013-08-04T12:35:13.173+01:00Mausoleo di Galla Placidia, Ravenna<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdYQ3LfknFDJIuRcYnGnCI8xJbC0sEo35OiaMAjM59S7Om4-iKeAs6O2sTOaCX6yDMLY5ovwkTyMvX84ttlqIKcPU8eZmXnYWrpk5fVMFVWQEFXbXEPCgwLVF3CeEzTcbrvIy1IT4otk/s1600/P1060680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdYQ3LfknFDJIuRcYnGnCI8xJbC0sEo35OiaMAjM59S7Om4-iKeAs6O2sTOaCX6yDMLY5ovwkTyMvX84ttlqIKcPU8eZmXnYWrpk5fVMFVWQEFXbXEPCgwLVF3CeEzTcbrvIy1IT4otk/s640/P1060680.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2012 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Concept:</b> Texture (kinesthetic)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> The vault of the southern transept of Mausoleo di Galla Placidia. The only doorway is on the south wall, and strong directional afternoon sunlight brightly illuminates the ceiling mosaics with hard incident light. This picks out the textural qualities of the fine tiles by relief, especially in the upper-half of the image.<br />
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<b>Title:</b> Golden sunlight<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt05RieQkdltSNFQXmnhGKi5Ztcmjw3zmCKkwxLmE4zU1i50dt-nuPqrzyng1HFATo3vUwQV0REP5g1CFgPwvTFR6R7uElO-Z7gKtA8nbGtDQgbelI2_T288ia1MmIPgbD5BgZXFqI7bE/s1600/P1060671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt05RieQkdltSNFQXmnhGKi5Ztcmjw3zmCKkwxLmE4zU1i50dt-nuPqrzyng1HFATo3vUwQV0REP5g1CFgPwvTFR6R7uElO-Z7gKtA8nbGtDQgbelI2_T288ia1MmIPgbD5BgZXFqI7bE/s640/P1060671.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2012 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
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<b>Concept:</b> Pattern (regular)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> In the north transept, the lesser amounts of incident light (particularly in the image centre) present a flatter image, emphasising the pattern of the mosaic over its texture.loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Strada Pedonale Benedetto Fiandrini, 48110 Ravenna, Italy44.420983799999988 12.19711910000000918.898949299999988 -29.11147489999999 69.943018299999991 53.505713100000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-12374013726061960412013-08-02T16:51:00.000+01:002013-08-04T12:30:28.400+01:0002.08 Texture<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The structure of an object is its form...<br />
the structure of the material from which it is made is its texture" </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Michael Freeman in '<i>The Photographer's Eye</i>'</blockquote>
Texture arises from the representation of similar elements countless in number, at a minute size relative to the overall size of the image. Texture is thus a function of scale: think of the ears of wheat in an image of an extensive wheat field. A defining characteristic of texture is that should appeal most to our kinesthesia - our sense of touch - despite being observed via our visual sense,<br />
<br />
Surface texture is observed clearest when illuminated by directional lighting at an acute angle: the smoother or finer the texture (<i>i.e.</i> the larger the scale), the more acute the incident light required to emphasise the relief*. The limit of this approach is reached when the surface is so smooth as to be reflective, in which case no angle of incidence and produce shadow contrast.<br />
<br />
*Relief is a sculptural technique where a raised 'figure' is created by carving away the 'ground' or background. The clarity of the figure relies on the creation of shadow contrast, created by incident light, to give it definition (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relief">Relief</a>).loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-36488590902565730832013-08-01T11:29:00.000+01:002013-08-04T11:54:49.135+01:00The Central Nave of Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, Florence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFB_UMzHiNJzsOzpzvwLl0qOWrJTd541K-ezJI2AGYPPwhnoz1hHPrEoh2hpZ3zY91imXV8f6oPhhAD92JkraFgrt6lundqguPIKZ_jQwQTijTXF7IxfspaaXil2Yv7qX5eeONrtkZI-s/s1600/IMG_3099_cropped_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFB_UMzHiNJzsOzpzvwLl0qOWrJTd541K-ezJI2AGYPPwhnoz1hHPrEoh2hpZ3zY91imXV8f6oPhhAD92JkraFgrt6lundqguPIKZ_jQwQTijTXF7IxfspaaXil2Yv7qX5eeONrtkZI-s/s640/IMG_3099_cropped_02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2013 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
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<b>Concept:</b> Perspective (diminishing)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> The Dominican friars Fra Sisto Fiorentino and Fra Ristoro da Campi designed the central nave with a trompe-l'œil effect, seen upon stepping through the central portal of the main façade - the piers between the nave and the aisles get closer to each other towards the apse. This trick of diminishing perspective makes the nave look longer than it actually is.<br />
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The above photograph was taken with my back right up against the main portal doors. The below photograph was taken from the dais just slightly in front and to the right of the main altar. Compare the sense of distance and space, particularly between the counter-façade and the fabric screening at the other end of the nave closest to it. The optical properties of diminishing perspective and knowledge of how to manipulate it was known to Renaissance designers.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6agDwW67iYsUrM-klxcpKYq7-kQLDwU2bM7M_3jEZND0AVKpPv5rR9fL5dYDZtjF6fyYf6ZsI96hJL2m3Aej1ixXwf32Aagz7XS_HUAwuOaKGb5EHvj5NkXRaLbvh17q9wUBiLsPr5U/s1600/IMG_3265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6agDwW67iYsUrM-klxcpKYq7-kQLDwU2bM7M_3jEZND0AVKpPv5rR9fL5dYDZtjF6fyYf6ZsI96hJL2m3Aej1ixXwf32Aagz7XS_HUAwuOaKGb5EHvj5NkXRaLbvh17q9wUBiLsPr5U/s640/IMG_3265.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2013 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
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loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0Museo di Santa Maria Novella, Piazza Santa Maria Novella, 509122 Florence, Italy43.774297999999987 11.24936700000000718.252263499999987 -30.059226999999993 69.296332499999991 52.557961000000006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-43211823934906913642013-07-29T06:40:00.000+01:002013-07-29T16:06:22.915+01:00The Apennines of Italy, Republic of San Marino<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG35LEJu7GjH9KeCF6AjvM3J2JHcKX7nLSxxiBGzeWWCNZWh_MC7GRcdvKU6t_DLyrZAR73bUeRZj02PwuqVFNTX1OOxaCHe-v-cGoIpad1LUkTumHe2wlZ6_XQHDy5SbhqtVkPoj-sUM/s1600/P1060839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG35LEJu7GjH9KeCF6AjvM3J2JHcKX7nLSxxiBGzeWWCNZWh_MC7GRcdvKU6t_DLyrZAR73bUeRZj02PwuqVFNTX1OOxaCHe-v-cGoIpad1LUkTumHe2wlZ6_XQHDy5SbhqtVkPoj-sUM/s640/P1060839.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2012 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
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<b>Concept:</b> Clear (plain)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> This picture communicates the majesty of summertime in the mountains of central Italy. The treatment is very straight-ahead - what I considered most appropriate in showing this as an enviable everyday occurrence.<br />
<br />
Is it compelling or plain? Compare it to the others and make up your own mind.<br />
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<b>Title:</b> --loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0Viale Antonio Onofri, 47890, San Marino43.9331707 12.4493233000000643.927453199999995 12.43923830000006 43.9388882 12.45940830000006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-30181463620307791672013-07-28T12:17:00.000+01:002013-07-28T12:17:30.950+01:0005.09 ClearThe single image which says it all - the holy grail of photojournalism - is the epitome of clarity. With nothing left to say, the image is "complete" (Roland Barthes) and the viewer plays no role in the interpretation. Thematically clear images run the danger of being passed over quickly precisely because of their communicative efficiency due to a lack of involvement; of the lack of a need on the viewer's part, to invest in its understanding (the converse of ambiguous images).<br />
<br />
This makes it all the more important for the clear image to be compelling. If the image is captivating and powerful to the creator, it will be so to the viewer as well.loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-70705403922365023802013-07-27T12:27:00.001+01:002013-08-04T13:11:23.756+01:00The Crucifix of Badia Fiorentina, Florence<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gMafs4bkSaNBHSGk6Zh8Dm9-ieUaKF2ozqkMWExbt-Bl3bsi95yLgHmauKBbTNyl8aVEuSP54FiXS-8LWjijsEAEWW5WZGp_pey8U2UURHAsTnlqqPtXk30mG1_7exvi77NIkK-Kfe4/s1600/P1110593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gMafs4bkSaNBHSGk6Zh8Dm9-ieUaKF2ozqkMWExbt-Bl3bsi95yLgHmauKBbTNyl8aVEuSP54FiXS-8LWjijsEAEWW5WZGp_pey8U2UURHAsTnlqqPtXk30mG1_7exvi77NIkK-Kfe4/s640/P1110593.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2013 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Concept:</b> Balance (dynamic equilibrium); Single point (extreme periphery); Triangles (downward-pointing)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> The eye is naturally drawn to bright points of light, in this case the window in the apse of the Florentine Abbey, a site famous for manuscript copying and illumination. The framing of the window at the periphery is to accommodate the size and position of the crucifix - its visual counterweight. There are two main triangles: a literal downward-pointing triangle, whose two sides are formed by the crucifix's suspending filaments; a horizontal triangle implied by the apse window and the cross.<br />
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<b>Title:</b> 'Assumption of the Virgin'loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0Via Dante Alighieri, 12, 50122 Florence, Italy43.7709219 11.25661400000001343.767638899999994 11.251571500000013 43.7742049 11.261656500000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-42811131914415367692013-07-26T11:46:00.000+01:002013-07-27T12:03:12.148+01:0005.10 AmbiguousAmbiguity - when the theme or subject of an image is not immediately obvious - is a mechanism by which the viewer is drawn in and made to interact with the image in the process of trying to work out its meaning. An ambiguous image takes longer to read and understand thus prolonging the viewer's involvement with it.<br />
<br />
Ambiguous images may have an enduring appeal because of this, articulated as "The Beholder's Share" by the art historian Ernst Gombrich where the viewer participates in the conceptual completion of the work of art by drawing upon personal experience and expectations, and derives enjoyment from it. (There's a smattering of flattery involved too.)<br />
<br />
It's not only what is said, but how it's said. And in Ambiguity's case, what's said is said obliquely. Ambiguous images walk the tightrope between being not quite clever enough, and so obscure that no-one gets it.<br />
<br />
Ambiguous images fall broadly into three categories:<br />
<ol>
<li><b>soluble</b> - the key to resolution of the image is embedded in the image, no external reference is necessary (but a prompt to keep on looking for the unlocking key may be provided, for example, in the image title). This is common in delay.</li>
<li><b>assisted</b> - ultimate understanding of the image requires information outside the frame perhaps via an explanation of the image's context in a description provided.</li>
<li><b>unresolved</b> - deliberately devoid of key or explanation to leave the viewer in suspense.</li>
</ol>
loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-46642795858972486072013-07-20T13:55:00.000+01:002013-07-27T12:03:38.674+01:00Bachata in London, The Coronet Theatre, Elephant and Castle, London<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_F6tHvhB9ip1Q12dWOJNQsqajCm4i76U4Ahe6KV5QGLFxN9SFhUS63kiJl3DobBZxgt-6qouEERnsk1l0PMW6-ly4jWxfSApj1cauobUViKmDjZ9r4sMoeUOEuEb11PML2MF68eyAdHk/s1600/royce_audience_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_F6tHvhB9ip1Q12dWOJNQsqajCm4i76U4Ahe6KV5QGLFxN9SFhUS63kiJl3DobBZxgt-6qouEERnsk1l0PMW6-ly4jWxfSApj1cauobUViKmDjZ9r4sMoeUOEuEb11PML2MF68eyAdHk/s640/royce_audience_01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2013 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
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<b>Concept:</b> Pattern (irregular); Pattern (breaking the pattern); Ambiguous (assisted)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> An illustrative example of the power of lighting. The play of light and shadow gives rise to an irregular pattern made stimulating through extremes in contrast - of sharpness, brightness, tonality, movement and hue. In general, the eye is allowed to wander freely over most of the image - a key property of patterns.<br />
<br />
There is however one focal point which breaks the pattern: stage-lighting reflecting off the male spectator's arm creates a short blue-white arc whose focal point is the sharply outlined shadow of the young girl against the wall.<br />
<br />
Although the subject - that this is the audience at an musical event - is obvious, it is not clear what the object of attention is. In this case, it's the first ever live performance of <i>bachata</i> (a Dominican music and dance genre) in London's migrant Latin American heartland.<br />
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<b>Title:</b> 1-2-3 Royce!loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0Elephant and Castle, London Borough of Southwark, London SE1, UK51.494345 -0.1007329999999910851.491873500000004 -0.10577549999999108 51.4968165 -0.095690499999991074tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-91240482946314147432013-07-19T13:17:00.000+01:002013-08-04T12:31:17.618+01:0002.07 PatternA pattern is, like rhythm, constituted of similar elements. However, unlike in rhythm, the eye is allowed to roam freely over the whole surface of a pattern. It is this lack of a strong direction which lends the pattern its distinguishing trademark: of having a static feel.<br />
<br />
Pattern is about area, where rhythm is about direction.<br />
<br />
Pattern is most effective when it fills the frame, because when bounds to repeated elements are absent, the viewer's mind will assume that the pattern is continuous beyond the image frame. But the caveat to this is scale <i>i.e.</i> the ratio of the individual element's area to the image area; and number number of elements.<br />
<br />
Take for example, grains of rice. Filling the frame with a close-up of three grains of rice does not create a pattern. Conversely, an image of a surface covered by ten thousand grains - where each grain is perceptually indistinguishable - creates a texture instead. Thus scale is the main differentiator between pattern and texture.<br />
<br />
To achieve a pattern, take an image of a group of similar elements such that the whole group just fills the frame, and then take images at successive increments closing in until just a few elements occupy the frame. The feel of the pattern will be felt strongest somewhere in that sequence.<br />
<br />
<b>Regular patterns</b> comprise geometrically regular layouts. Visual interest is highly dependent upon the nature of the objects: a grid of oval cameos or coloured glass marbles with inclusions would yield and internally dynamic pattern than one of black rubber washers.<br />
<br />
<b>Irregular patterns</b> arise out of unordered layouts. The closer the elements are grouped together, the less the obvious the irregularity (consider the grains of rice example above). Close groupings use the Gestalt Principle of Proximity, where items close together are perceived as belonging together.<br />
<br />
<b>Breaking the pattern</b> plays on the directionless, meandering nature of patterns which makes them well suited as backgrounds. A contrasting element placed on/in the pattern is an immediate attention-grabber. Think of a still-husked grain rice, on a pattern of unhusked grains.loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-80329004622951252822013-07-16T16:55:00.000+01:002013-07-21T16:10:27.693+01:00Chiostro degli Aranci, Badia Fiorentina, Florence<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoH85gMVcCRnFwt7ZvqmF7Lffr4M7PIKim54c4f0p6rha1ICWbTL94ck6YjsyA4uuQ_93Z2qUwI15aw3vvwkk7yrF38JSVNQY0AbMDbFYF7PQ-014sBUF6j3uPczyFzm03-hz0_ULgd8/s1600/P1110609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoH85gMVcCRnFwt7ZvqmF7Lffr4M7PIKim54c4f0p6rha1ICWbTL94ck6YjsyA4uuQ_93Z2qUwI15aw3vvwkk7yrF38JSVNQY0AbMDbFYF7PQ-014sBUF6j3uPczyFzm03-hz0_ULgd8/s640/P1110609.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2013 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
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<b>Concept:</b> Rhythm (continuing); Dividing the frame (golden section)<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b> The compressed steep diagonal of the Cloister the Orange Trees' left side sharply directs the eye to the contrasting wooden doors framed in the upper central arch of the opposite side. From there the eye moves to the orange tree and moss-covered entabulature over the cloister's well, before being drawn to the left side once again establishing a subtle continuous path. The presence of the wide archways along the direction of eye movement creates a sedate contemplative rhythm entirely in keeping with the visual feel of the abbey's cloister.<br />
<br />
<b>Title:</b> Quiet Contemplationloo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0Via Dante Alighieri, 12, 50122 Florence, Italy43.7709219 11.25661400000001343.7705634 11.255983500000013 43.771280399999995 11.257244500000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-64146940674521760122013-07-15T17:19:00.000+01:002013-07-21T11:54:55.141+01:0002.06 RhythmWhen an image gives the viewer a persistent, enduring sense of recurrence, it is said to be possessed of rhythm. Rhythm has direction; the eye is led along a particular course and is therefore, by definition, dynamic.<br />
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Rhythm is achieved compositionally,<br />
<ul>
<li>through an ordered spatial arrangement of a sequence of visually similar elements;</li>
<li>in a manner which compels continuous eye flow, through the use of dynamic lines like diagonals and the periodicity of elements synchronised to eye saccades;</li>
<li>at a scale which allows time for visual momentum to be established and continue beyond the image frame by the Gestalt Principle of Continuity.<br /> </li>
</ul>
The last criterion usually necessitates the framing of the image in landscape orientation, based on the eye's preference for horizontal movement.<br />
<br />
Rhythm has momentum. A further compositional decision to be made is whether it should be allowed to:<br />
<ol>
<li><b>continue</b> - giving the image a sense of suspension; or</li>
<li><b>stop</b> (through the placement of a dissimilar element the end of the sequence) - giving the image dynamic contrast.</li>
</ol>
loo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468202463281571690.post-70517495927364787812013-07-14T13:08:00.001+01:002013-07-20T12:05:59.519+01:00Brunelleschi's Dome, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtR04eCU577IqmjOmgKF7xUQehk112L8Vw_EdTj7LaaxZvVSOVnXKpIL2903YJ2kJ7JpeOxN9z8fkU9mPW6-GWa2-6C_mFXyUJGdJB1qgq1e6WVLEHmgHRz-5YHH_PlIO3AawpAjbmlpc/s1600/IMG_0542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtR04eCU577IqmjOmgKF7xUQehk112L8Vw_EdTj7LaaxZvVSOVnXKpIL2903YJ2kJ7JpeOxN9z8fkU9mPW6-GWa2-6C_mFXyUJGdJB1qgq1e6WVLEHmgHRz-5YHH_PlIO3AawpAjbmlpc/s640/IMG_0542.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Photograph Copyright ©2013 Loo Yen Yeo. All Rights Reserved.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Concepts:</b> Triangles (horizontal convergence); Rhythm; Itten's contrasts (regular/irregular); Horizon (similar proportions);<br />
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<b>Description:</b> The edges of <i>Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore</i>'s nave create a horizontally converging triangle by the Gestalt Principle of Continuity, propelling the eye to the dynamic outline of the cupola; and then to the irregular horizon beyond, whose outline is accentuated by the pinkish back-light.<br />
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The movement of the eye over the façade's motifs create a sense of rhythm which changes pace when the façade angle alters at the dome's drum, stopping at the vertical edge. However the rhythm's visual momentum causes the eye to flow onto the irregular horizon line of Santa Croce district and the ancient Etruscan hills beyond.<br />
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<b>Title:</b> Convergenceloo yeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01446058534850979293noreply@blogger.com0Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Piazza San Giovanni, 50122 Florence, Italy43.773075200000008 11.25577780000003318.251040700000008 -30.052816199999967 69.295109700000012 52.564371800000032