Hi Class,

It's great to see all of your work on this blog - be sure to check out each other's Defining Home projects - there are some really nice shots here! Below I am posting your new assignment, Elements of Composition. As always, you can write me with any questions. I know some of you have time constraints, so if you need to focus on just one of the three genres, you can do that, but I think you will benefit from trying all three! When you have your digital files ready, upload them here on the blog before we meet Thursday. Enjoy!

Assignment 3: Elements of Composition

For this assignment, I’d like you to focus on three genres of photography--Portrait, Street Photograph & Landscape--and take 3-5 pictures in each. I will give you a compositional strategy to think about for each genre.

1 – The portrait: 3 – 5 digital files

Think about subject placement in the frame. Is your subject centered or to the side – are you going to show their whole body so you can see what they’re wearing, or just their face. Is the figure standing or sitting. Are they posing, or involved in an activity. Are you close or far away? Experiment with how different compositions change the reading of your subject matter.

August Sander

August Sander

Larry Sultan

Sally Mann

William Eggleston

Robert Frank

William Eggleston

Nan Goldin

Henry Wessel

2 – The Street Photograph: 3-5 digital files

For these shots, I’d like you to think about Henri Cartier-Bresson and “the Decisive Moment”. How do you create a dynamic street shot where the elements in the frame come together in an interesting way. Think about lines and forms created by architecture and people. Please try to include people in your street photograph. It can be shot from afar. It can be very important how your body is positioned in this kind of shot. Get high, get low. Sit and wait for the decisive moment!

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Gary Winogrand

Lee Friedlander

Gary Winogrand

3 – The “Landscape” – 3-5 digital files

For these shots, you can focus on a non-moving subject – any landscpe found in nature or on the street – a wide vista or the side of a building. Play with ideas like the “rule of thirds”, or using the edges of the frame creatively. Think about perspective – looking down on your subject can draw attention to its formal elements.  Think about the elements in your composition as abstract shapes as well as subject matter. 

Stephen Shore

Stephen Shore

Joel Sternfeld

Robert Adams

Robert Adams

Joel Sternfeld

Lee Friedlander

Henry Wessel