Exercise 22 - The relationship between points

For the first two images in this exercise I’ve taken views of Whitby. Again, I’ve converted the images to monochrome.

The first was taken at the top of the 199 steps and shows Caedmon’s Cross and an old gravestone.

 

The two obvious points in the image are the cross and the gravestone in the foreground.

While the cross is positioned further back than the gravestone, I thought at first that it was the dominant point in the image. It has more attractive detail and takes up a larger part of the frame, but the initial interest in the detail on the cross fades after a while and the attention is drawn by the inscription on the gravestone – who was Edward Pennock anyway? What else is written there? Look at the erosion on the stonework! Even though it’s smaller in the frame, the gravestone is an important part of the image and draws the attention away from the cross, to become the dominant point in the image.

 

This image was taken later in the day when the tourists are out for their sea trips. I used the lens at 200 mm to create this image, which should shorten the perspective, but in this case the positioning of the points has retained it.

 

The two main points are the boat and the lighthouse. I feel in this case that the boat is more dominant. The eye keeps getting drawn to the figures at the top of the lighthouse, but it’s still the boat which seems more significant.

The lighthouse and pier provide a sense of place and help to show the movement of the boat as it heads towards the sea. This impression is aided by the higher contrast in the foreground and the more pastel tones in the distance as the heat of the day creates a haze.

For the third image of this exercise I commandeered a grandson for a close up shot. 

 

I find this image quite unsettling. Knowing that he’s got such a mild temperament, the symmetry of this image makes him look haunted and almost distressed, which wasn’t the case at the time. The picture is staring out at me, which makes it hard to look at for long – definitely not one for the family album.

 

It’s a framing which may have a lot of potential with the Goths when they arrive in October, but for most people it’s not one flattering and not one for general use.

 

So the positioning of different points in the frame is very important, to make a balanced, comfortable image.