Exercise 13: Positioning a Point

"The point," Michael Freeman writes, "is the most fundamental design element.  In a photograph  for a subject to qualify as a point it has to be small in the frame, and contrast, in some way, with its surroundings.  The most obvious kind of scene in which you can find and use a single point is where the setting, or background, is plain and even, and from which you are at sufficient distance for an object to occupy just a fraction of the space."

This exercise required taking three photos demonstrating points in three classes of position:  center, off-center, close to the edge.  

Freeman notes that as this section of the course deals with elements of design such as points, shapes, lines, it might be best to work in monochrome in order to accentuate these aspects while minimizing the potentially overwhelming aspect of color.  

The Japanese navy was in the Persian Gulf this month to participate in mine sweeping operations. They invited the Japanese public out for a visit this weekend and while on board I found Freeman's perfect setting, a plain and even background with sufficient distance from the object to create contrast.  

A peek at the color copies below reveals the most powerful contrast to be color:  the red and white flag against the blue background. Take away the color and the strongest contrast is tone.  I suspect this will most always be the case when the point is small and set off against and even background.  

I don't know if I cheated here, or got off task, but you will notice one of these images has been shot at a wider range.  The flag is smaller and the horizon is set about 1/3 of the way down from the top.  Perhaps I should have kept kept focal length constant.  In any case, this move helped produce a more interesting image.  The horizon provides scale and perhaps a sense that there might be, or might have been, movement.  

On the other hand, I also like the image where the point is centered.  The Japanese flag is a symmetrical icon, and hanging there quietly in the center of the image creates a bit of nested symmetry.  What's more the lack of movement in a centered point fits well with the placid water, still air, and limp flag.  

I have been wondering how this exercise with points is different from an earlier one, positioning in the frame.  Perhaps it does not.  Freeman notes in The Photographer's Eye (p66):

Some of the issues involved in positioning the subject in the frame have already been covered on pages 24-25 [Placement], and most of what was said applies here. To summarize: from a purely aesthetic point of view, placing a point right in the middle of the frame may be logical, but it is also static and uninteresting, and is rarely satisfactory. The choice then becomes how far off center to place the point, and in what direction? The more eccentric the position, the more it demands justification.

More photos from this series here.

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