The aim of this exercise was to find another subject which is clear and set within a large, even background and take a series of photographs with the subject in different positions in the frame.
I came across this character on a wall in Norwich and liked how he stood out from the mossy, dirty brickwork.
The main subject of this photograph and my position and focal length doesn't change. However, where I position the character does and hence how the main subject and background work together.
Photograph 1: This photograph was taken with the main character central in the frame. The eye is drawn straight to the character and their is little or no relationship with the background.
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| Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens, 24.0mm, f/16.0, 1/20s, ISO320 |
Photograph 2: For this photo I moved the character to the bottom left of the frame and incorporated the edge of the window sill. I think this is my favorite composition as I think the subject and background work well together - it seems to add more depth and context to the photo.
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| Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens, 24.0mm, f/16.0, 1/25s, ISO400 |
Photograph 3: For this photo I moved the character to the very edge of the frame. I don't think this photograph works well at all, as the main focus becomes the background (the brick wall) and is not very interesting. I dislike this composition. I can see an application for its use if you want the viewer's eye to wander over the photograph before it finds the subject of interest.
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| Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens, 24.0mm, f/16.0, 1/25s, ISO400 |
Photograph 4: For this forth and final shot I moved the character to the right of centre, similar to shot number 2 but the opposite side of the frame. For some reason I don't think this works quite as well as photo number 2. The subject doesn't have the same relationship with the background.
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| Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens, 24.0mm, f/16.0, 1/25s, ISO400 |
This exercise has helped me consider the importance of the relationship of the background and the main subject and placing the subject in the environment.
