Line

Line:

Definition & Theory

• A line represents a "path" between two points.
• A line can be straight, curved, vertical, horizontal, diagonal, or zigzag.
• Lines imply motion and suggest direction or orientation.
• A line can also be implied and is then filled in by the mind when several points are positioned geometrically within a frame.

The direction and orientation of a line can also imply certain feelings 

Horizontal lines, imply tranquillity, peace, and harmony

Vertical lines imply power and, strength.

Diagonal lines imply movement, action, and change.

Curved lines or S-shaped lines imply quiet, calm and sensual feelings.

Lines that converge imply depth, scale, and distance - a fence or roadway converges into the distance provides the illusion that a flat two-dimensional image has three-dimensional depth. 

Image Bank: The following images related to the theme "Lines"

           

Walker Evan 

Walker Evans (November 3, 1903 – April 10, 1975) was a photographer based in America. He took photographs on black and white film, his photographs mainly included prevalent events during the period of his life, for example, the Great Depression of  29 October 1929 - 1939 and the subsequent rebuilding of the American economy. 

Walker Evans used 8x10 inch (200x250 mm) camera that uses black and white film, as shown above. His photography portrays the voice of the poor and wealthy American people and how each suffered during the Great Depression. Walkers prints were designed to have a high contrast, this is to ensure the painted road signs stand out against the black roads. 

The image above shows the working class people commuting to work in America after the great depression, they are traveling on the subway and the man in the center of the image is playing the accordion and singing. After the Great Depression many people were out of work and living in poverty, people's desperation was obvious as they did anything they could to earn money. The border of the photograph was probably not deliberate as Walker Evans took this covert photo; the rawness of the image is visible by people's sheer dislike of going to work. This image also shows how people were anti-social during that period, some of them reading the newspaper and others staring straight ahead this displays people's constant ignorance of the people they sit next to and the individual lives they lead.

Selected Images

Contact sheet(s)

The two images marked in red were slightly out of focus, I will need to ensure that my images are sharp during future shoots. 

(note that the contact sheets were created with Photoshop, you will be shown how to create them)

My Best images (target 4 - 6):
I selected the following as my best images (Not edited)

In this photograph I took a colour shot of a zebra crossing. I liked this photograph as it has a leading line that insinuates movement, like you are travelling across the road and the shadows across the path symbolise obstacles in you're way.  

This large white arrow has a harsh contrast against the black tarmac. The boldness of the arrow and it's large size show power and control; it demands that you turn left. 

This photograph was taken at a canted angle, due to this it distorts the image and ensures that viewers have to concentrate on the photograph. The harsh shine of the sun on the metal casing represents a strength almost like an institution that even nature cannot penetrate. This may have some connotations of a government rising high above it's people.

This leading line of a bench symbolises movement but usually benches are places of rest. By converting this into a leading line it completely changes the symbolism of the bench. It goes from a place to stop and relax in the calm atmosphere, into a chaotic pit stop in our everyday lives. Only ever providing a brief respite from the hustle and bustle of living.

This chain also is a leading line but this time has connotations of duty and imprisonment. 

Only one chain being in focus symbolises life, never focusing on the future or the past, only the present.  

Images that require improvement:

AO3:

I selected these images because dislike the composition, tone or lighting of the image. 

My next image of a leaf is out of focus, this is due to there being a slight wind and the camera being on autofocus. Next time I will set the camera to a quicker shutter speed or hold the leaf still while keeping my hand out of shot.

For my final image if a flight of stairs I was holding the camera at an angle and they are at a position, distorting the view and adding a chaotic effect. If I were to shoot this image again I would either look at the immediate playback to see if the image is straight or I would use a tripod to ensure that it was straight. 

AO2:

The camera I used for all of my photographs was a Nikon J 12. The camera was left on the auto setting as I am familiar with using it in this manner, it has 10.1 million megapixels. 

The image if the white brick wall is too dark and it creates a depressed feel to the photograph which wasn't the effect I wanted. Next time I will wait for the sun to come out or I will use artificial lighting to brighten the image. 

Next, I used photoshop to improve on some of my images and used it to alter the color and contrast of my images. The following steps are how I did it.

First I converted the image to black and white, then I manipulated the tones. I did this to relate my work back to Walker Evans 

The next thing I did was change the contrast to a high setting (using curves) like to create a dramatic contrast like in Walker Evans' work.

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations formed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.

AO1:

By studying Walker Evans work I was able to view line from a different perspective and subsequently take photographs reminiscent of his style, photographs with hard geometrical lines and lines that could be manipulated and distorted through the use of angle with the camera. I mainly took these photos in Harlow Town Centre as it has many interesting buildings and strong lines that are intriguing to photograph. The research into the moods and symbolism of lines was useful as it all me to better annotate my work, for example, the horizontal line across this empty road shows tranquility and the straight lines of the zebra crossing represent power as drivers will have to stop to allow pedestrians to pass.

AO4:  

I am convinced that I have produced a detailed and strong series of photographs for the formal element line, and have used my research into Walker Evans to strengthen and expand my study. These are my final images that I have produced and refined by editing their black and white contrast and adjusting the color sliders. (Annotate for AO4: Leading lines, and why)

This post was completed on 12/09/17

Friday, 6 May 2016

here is a new post

new post

Thursday, 21 January 2016

Student blogs component 1

Component 1

Chloe Macklin: 
Morgan Redman 
Emma Weeks
Jasmine Harris
Ellie Hood
Sinead Grace
Sarah Vandenberg
Grace Cambridge
Fern Disney
Reece Hack
Alex Jones
Kaya Dalton
George Docking


Component 2

Chloe Macklin: 
Morgan Redman 
Emma Weeks
Jasmine Harris
Ellie Hood
Sinead Grace
Sarah Vandenberk
Grace Cambridge
Fern Disney
Reece Hack
Alex Jones
Kaya Dalton
George Docking