Assignment 1: Creating Meaning With Images.
All photos were taken on my phone, a Samsung Galaxy S6.
Space.
The prominent flower in this photo is made so because of the vast negative space background. It was created intentionally by surrounding it with black poster board (placed on my dining room table and propped with a large vase from behind). The shadow beneath the flower creates depth without distracting from the focal point. In this case, “black space is not your enemy!” |
Line.
The crack in my next door neighbor’s gate is an invitation to mystery! Especially when constructed of solid wood. The strong vertical lines created by the edges of the door and fence as well as the thick vertical “line” created by the glimpse into the garden (and closure since we are seeing an implied rectangle) are what create the invitation in this photo. |
Shape / Form.
Does anyone recognize the Tin Man in this common sight located in my neighborhood? The clear shape of the hydrant (which evokes other shapes such as a circle, cross, and triangle) is familiar, yet, when studied long enough, transforms into a myriad of characters. I was so taken with my Tin Man that I opted to increase the saturation to 200% using Powerpoint’s picture formatting tools. The warm colors bring life to the original photo with the addition of sparkles to the hydrant and a glow to the entire image suggestive of a reflection from what must be Munchkinland's nearby yellow brick road! |
Size / Scale.
This has been a comical scene in my foyer for many years – the sight of a miniature church backed up by a slightly larger-than-life self portrait of my beautiful daughter. But for this assignment, I couldn’t resist adding my ginormous decorative ants to the vignette. The colors of the ants dance off the colors of my daughter and the dimly lit church windows. All of which point to the amazing eyes that the viewer sees first. |
Color.
The complementary color partners of primary red and secondary green commonly bring Christmas to mind. But in my world, a bright fresh spring green toying with hues of lime combined with popping hot red are a year-round favorite. Tweaking primary and secondary colors to create new colors and adding a touch of a warm color (yellow) to a cool color (green) completely changes the temperature, and therefore, mood. And in this photo of my red chairs staged in my end-of-summer green yard, a whimsical atmosphere is suggested. |
Texture.
In this eye-full of warm, brown texture-heavy pine straw found in a neighboring yard, one could imagine any number of things and critters hiding out in its prickliness blanketing the earth. Even the angle of this photo hints at the unknown in the process of jumping out of hiding. I surround myself with texture so it’s not surprising that many of my images are filled with a variety of surfaces. From photos and artwork to music to one’s surrounding, clearly, texture is a critical part of making life interesting. |
Value.
These little beauties belong to 2 of our children. The irons have been sitting on the side of our garage for a while now, awaiting the moment that their owners decide to take them home – meanwhile, they’ve become home to others. While naturally composed of contrasting value, I decided to emphasize the two irons using Powerpoint’s photo editing tools. I lowered the temperature (the original photo showed the warm tones of antique rust) and increased the saturation. In addition to increasing the contrast in this balanced photo, these tweaks to value result in a photo style that is reminiscent of a setting more true to the time that these irons were in their prime. |
Focal Point / Emphasis.
It’s not shocking that I’ve chosen a texture-rich photo to use for my focal point/emphasis example. Found in a neighbor’s yard, the somewhat untamed grass with its haphazard growth pattern echoes the wind that brought the leaf fluttering down to its resting spot, right in the spot it should be, according to the Rule of Thirds. Admittedly, I did have to take a strong hand with nature and do a bit of cropping to place it there. |
Contrast.
This photo was taken in a neighbor’s yard. It is the remains of an ornamental Bradford Pear tree that lost its battle to the wind several years ago. The contrast existing in this photo is what makes it so interesting. Contrast exists in the warm color of the tired bark compared to the color springing forth (well, summering forth) in the new plant life. Also, contrasting partners provide harmony in the rough, patterned texture of the bark and the smooth, velvety texture of the splintered wood. A note of contrast emerges with the messy, fibrous web on the left compared to the clean crisp view on the right. And finally, the contrast of the sun hitting the bark of the tree to the suggestion of inner darkness in the center of the photo brings not just visual contrast, but brings volumes of literary cliches to mind. |
Balance.
We all strive for balance in our lives and the definition of that balance is unique to each of us. Balance in a photo, whether edited to provide artificial harmony, or left natural with composition elements creating the perfect weight throughout the scene, is a comfortable goal. This photo of 2 neighbors homes is balanced by the blooming crepe myrtles flanking the divisive driveway that would otherwise dominate the scene. |
Rhythm / Pattern.
After several attempts to capture images of scenes in my home and neighborhood that are clearly rhythmic patterns, I settled on the stairs in our family room as the sight declaring the most "life." The equidistant banisters provide the pattern and the fact that they are naturally going up provides the rhythm. The angle of the photo with an implied vanishing point provides the movement. I’ll never look at a set of stairs the same way again. |
Unity.
This photo taken of my collection of antique insulators exemplifies unity in a few ways. First, the pastel, cool colors of the insulators link them in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Next, the deck rail provides a baseline on which they are all grounded and equally displayed. And finally, the shape similarity of each insulator communicates their relatedness, even if the viewer has never before seen such an item. |
Gestalt - Proximity.
When you walk in my dining room, there’s no question that this group of old family photos belong together. They are intentionally placed in close proximity to each other. While this is the largest group of photos in our home, others are in clear groups based on their proximity as well. Remarkable how organized our brains are! |
Gestalt - Similarity.
Even with the contrast between these 2 elephants that live on our deck, there is still similarity in shape (elephant), pose (trunks back), and mood (friendly) that brings balance and unity to this photo. There’s also a brass cat that lives nearby – I keep her 2 shelves above the elephant buddies. But dissonance occurs whenever my granddaughter visits because somehow that cat always wants to claim space with the elephants. The dissonance in scale, color, and simply not belonging is palpable! |
Gestalt - Continuity.
The viewer of this image can see that Annabelle is just about to complete her ride to her mother (the shadow) on my driveway. Therefore, the implied direction illustrates the Gestalt theory of continuity. The line of movement created by the trike continues with the direction of the front wheel, the coincidental line in the driveway, and the determination of the rider. |
Gestalt - Closure.
While our minds bring closure to photos and scenes throughout our daily lives, I found capturing the theory in a photo to be challenging. These 5 antique insulators (pictured above in the “unity” example) routinely live in a circle on a table on the deck. While not visible on their wrought iron home, when I moved them to the red surface, you can see the 5 point star their arrangement suggests. Our minds close the image for us! |
Reflection.
Now that I've been introduced to the elements, principles, and theories of design, I can't imagine taking or teaching a class on visual literacy without Project 1, Creating Meaning With Images. This assignment was not only plain, old fashioned fun, but it also applied what I read from Hagan and Golimbisky's (2013) text. I'm not sure how I've made it to this point in life without these image skills in my toolbox. As the K-5 media specialist, I will use these elements, principles and theories of design in many, many ways. A couple of the simplest will be:
Now that I've been introduced to the elements, principles, and theories of design, I can't imagine taking or teaching a class on visual literacy without Project 1, Creating Meaning With Images. This assignment was not only plain, old fashioned fun, but it also applied what I read from Hagan and Golimbisky's (2013) text. I'm not sure how I've made it to this point in life without these image skills in my toolbox. As the K-5 media specialist, I will use these elements, principles and theories of design in many, many ways. A couple of the simplest will be:
- PreK - 1st: Read a picture book with an emphasis on shapes. As a class, discuss the way the author incorporated shapes into the text and illustrations. Divide the class into groups of 2-3. Using an app such as Seesaw which allows voice recording over a photo, give each group a different image to talk about. Groups should brainstorm story ideas that have a shape theme based on their picture and take turns recording their story after taking a picture of their image.
- 2nd - 5th: As a class, review the genres realistic fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and "scary." Show the pine straw image above and brainstorm embellishments to this story starter: "Once upon a time, a _________________ lay hidden beneath the warm blanket of straw." Divide the class into groups of 2-3. Give each group an image, preferably one illustrating texture, such as the pine straw above. The students will craft a story matching one of the genres reviewed based on the image.
- 4th - 5th: After a class discussion on the word unity (define it, think of ways to illustrate it, think of things in our school that show unity, think of ways in our community/nation/world that show unity/disunity), the student will compose a photo either in the library or in the adjacent garden that shows unity. This student will then create an explanation of why they took the picture they did, how it shows unity. The explanation will be one of the following forms: a) short story, b) poem, or c) song. They will present their product to the class.
References
Golombisky, K., & Hagen, R. (2013). White space is not your enemy: A beginner's guide to communicating visually through graphic, web & multimedia design. 2nd edition, Boston, MA: Focal Press.
Golombisky, K., & Hagen, R. (2013). White space is not your enemy: A beginner's guide to communicating visually through graphic, web & multimedia design. 2nd edition, Boston, MA: Focal Press.