For the first part of project four, I shot photos around Portland that show strong contrast in scale, color, and texture. I also shot photos that show symmetrical balance as well as radial balance. Then I edited the strongest photos, and made some of them into diptychs and triptychs. Shooting through the lens of balance and contrast farther expanded my photography knowledge and spiced up my work. Below are the carefully piked final edits. Enjoy.
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| Symmetrical balance |
This photo reminds of huge gates leading to a tall castle, and if you were to look up to the castle it would appear as if it were touching the sky. Two tall walls lead the eye to the building, which provides an even balance of symmetry to both sides of the photo. I added a graduated filter and took down the exposure so the photo would fade from dark to light. Finally, I took up the saturation of the blue windows to provide a contrast to the lowly saturated elements.
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| Radial balance |
When I first look at this photo, my eyes are immediately drawn to the center of this succulent, named "Hens and Chicks." The spiny edges gradually get smaller and lead to the center. I completely took down the saturation, enhanced the blacks and added a subtle vignette, which makes this photograph very powerful and dramatic. Once I look at this photo I can't stop staring at it, it draws me in like an intense whirlpool.
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| Contrast in scale |
I was walking downtown on a fine day, when this evergreen caught my eye. It was just a single tree up on a high rise, oh the contrast! I whipped out my camera and captured this valuable moment. I took down the saturation, brought up the contrast to enhance to the whites against the blacks, and topped it off with a vignette. It's fun to use your imagination with this photo, it almost looks like the tree is growing out of a crack on the side of the building.
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| Contrast in color |
I picture myself walking through a modern art gallery, when I come across a simple, but intriguing painting. The vibrant green against the smooth diluted orange juice without pulp (yes, it's a color) offers a pleasant contrast. This photo makes me want to make some Indonesian Sumatra coffee and take a stroll through a garden. If I could describe this photo in one word it would be morning. That will be it's title in an art museum.
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| Contrast in texture, diptych |
When I look at this picture, I start to day dream of a serene river in the Amazon. I'm drifting through the river as sand and water seeps through my toes. A cool mist hangs in the sky, but it starts to lift as the sun comes out, revealing tropical plants and toucans waking from there slumber.
In other words, the variety of textures bring out the whimsical qualities of this photo. I like both the edit with color and the desaturated one, so I made them into a diptych. I was pleasantly surprised by the result, the combination of the two edits go well together and even resemble a river.
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| Contrast- human vs. cat, diptych |
Past bedtime shenanigans with the human and the cat. Cats are serious, petite animals, while humans are playful, social animals. However, both the cat and human try new things. The human tries relaxing on the sofa, but quickly becomes tired of staying still, and the cat tries coffee, but is quickly picked up by the human. The quirky qualities of this photo bring out a unique contrast. The black and white color gives this photo a feeling of home, comfort, fun, and joy.
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| Contrast in texture, triptych |
At first glance of this photo, my eyeballs start going everywhere. My eyes want to focus on the lines, smooth surfaces, and circles all at once. I picture myself in Rome walking on ancient ruins. The silver gray brings out the magnificent variety of textures. The lines go on forever, and I keep chasing them until I'm out of breath. Everything is the same color except for the forest green moss, which adds a dash of salt to the photo.
~John Langford Photography
