Shapes in Composition
We may not be conscious of it, but we perceive shapes in all our visual interactions with the world. To be clear, a shape is a two dimensional object with a boundary, such as a square, circle or triangle. Since shape is two dimensional, we are most aware of shape in two dimensional visual media such as photographs and paintings. In our three dimensional world we still perceive shapes, but they now have added three dimensional aspects such as form. Look out for shapes and you will find them everywhere!Shapes in Composition
Shapes play a very important role in the compositional quality and evocative nature of your image. For example, shapes that repeat or mirror each other add an element of continuity, connecting different parts of the image.
A beautiful morning in South Africa’s Cape Point Nature reserve. Notice how the triangular shape of the foreground boulder is mirrored in the distant triangular peak, creating a connection between the background and foreground. Several repeating elliptical shaped boulders create continuity in the middle ground and also help to connect foreground and background.
Each type of shape evokes its own particular emotions and mental associations. The two images below portray the emotional qualities associated with smooth, rounded shapes and vertical, triangular shapes.Shapes in Composition
A study of the smooth and soft layered shapes sculpted by the incessant winds of Namibia’s coastal dunes. The yellowish light is due to remnants of fog illuminated by the morning sun. The smooth, round nature of the shapes gives the image a calm and solid feeling. Shapes do not have to be included in their entirety in an image. Incomplete shapes often are suggestive enough of the full shape they are part of. When you include several shapes in an image, be sure that they complement rather than detract from each other. There are also several diagonal lines in this image, with a flow from the top left to bottom right.
The magnificent serrated peaks of Patagonia’s Cerro Torre in Argentina must be one of nature’s outstanding sculptures. This is also a study in triangular shapes, thanks in part to a compression of depth through the use of a telephoto lens. The triangular shapes are vertical, statuesque and give the image a sense of upward movement. Their pointed nature also adds to the dynamism of the scene, as is the case in general for pointed shapes. Note how the overall feel of this image contrasts with that of the smooth, rolling dunes of the previous one.
Besides the fact that shapes are visually different and can be contrasted from that point of view, one can also contrast the emotional qualities of different shapes. For example, you can contrast a vertical against a horizontal shape, evoking comparisons in terms of stability (the vertical shape may fall over while the horizontal shape is stable) and also dominance, with the taller vertical shape towering over the lower horizontal shape.
Shapes in Composition
I hope you enjoyed this brief excerpt from my ebook The Art of Nature Photography, which discusses in detail the principles of, and the psychology behind, visual design as applied to photography.
Related articles:
Line as a Compositional Element
The Telephoto for Landscape Photography
