Multiple points set

This is the whole set picture by picture from the slideshow

This picture above is my final composition. Although it may be very abstract what is pleasing to one or another I can see the benefits of moving the objects around.

Exercise 3: Multiple points

6 photographs.

In this exercise the aim is to create a composition of a still life made with 10 objects, with a sequence of photographs of the placed objects, 1 by one.

I have decided to use a plain background, even though an uneven background was suggested in the exercise.

I have placed one by one dried nuts and fruits on a white cardboard box.

A tripod, flash and 50mm lense were used.

All pictures have been processed the same way through an automatic photoshop script, automating an action
I had created processing the first image.

I adjusted white balance, exposure, contrast In Adobe Raw. The file was then sent to photoshop and the white background has been repainted white as the original one wasn't usable.

You can view the set through the following slideshow or view the picture set via the link below it.

SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE SET HERE

This exercise was vey helpful in realising how difficult it is when you have the freedom of being totally in control. A still life composition such as this one carry so many tweakable variables it can become overhelming.

This one being my first, I had a hard time choosing the background and something I could light up easily. Having no lighting system I relied on my flash and post processing on Photoshop, I used a white cardboard as the background which had nasty reflections caused by the flash. 

When it comes to the positions of the elements it could take forever to find the correct match as the possibilities are almost endless. However, What I've found out is the composition is usually more appealing with odd numbers of elements. Although, from 5 elements and up the eye tends not to count the number of elements anymore but somehow, it seems to be pleased by odd numbers.

Placing the elements is key. I honestly thought just throwing 10 nuts  like a handfull of dices on a white background wouldn't look dramatically different from a carefully planned composition. While this could sometimes work it's much more efficient making your own decisions and trying out different scenarios.

In this simple exercise it was easy to see the way the elements were displayed could radically change the whole dynamic of the image.

Exercise 2: The Relationship between points

For this exercise I will use 2 similar objects in order to focus on the relationship between the points.

It's hard to say in this one which attracts more attention than the other. The eye is drawn from one to the other  but we assume they are both going towards the top right corner of the frame, giving a sense of direction.

I believe the position of the red coaster  attracts more attention as it is closer to the center.

The position of the two elements, similar to human eyes, makes them attract attention equally 

Exercise 1: Positioning a point

The point of focus being the dog, cropping the picture to position him in the lower right part of the frame, with the rule of thirds in mind gives some sense of speed. As most people scan a picture from left to right it increases the notion of movement and speed

Placing the single point of focus at the bottom right delays the sight of the mahjong cube, as above the eye looks quickly at the top then goes down to the center of focus.

Having the cube on the opposite side gives an uneasy feeling of instability, as though the cube was about to fall.

The decision of positioning a single point varies from subject to subject. Regardless of the subject, the placement of the single point can change the picture dramatically.