A visual element is any characteristic that we can see, including line, shape, repetition, space, texture, colour, and value/ tone. The design principles for using these elements include balance, gradation, repetition, contrast, harmony, dominance, and unity.
Line
An element of art defined by a point moving in space. Line may be two-or three-dimensional, descriptive, implied, or abstract. Lines are useful for dividing space and drawing the eye to a specific location. Line can be used to suggest shape, pattern, form, structure, growth, depth, distance, rhythm, movement and a range of emotions.
Shape
Shape is a primary characteristic of visual elements, alongside size, colour, texture, and position in the frame. Regular shapes stand out and capture the viewer’s attention, especially if they have hard edges and well-defined corners. Among the four types of shapes, they are the most eye-catching.
Form
Where light and shape collide to create images with depth and what I like to think of as touch ability. Form makes an image lifelike, so the photo stands out, because the viewer feels that they can reach in and touch the person or object. To create depth in a photo, you need form.
Repetition
Repetition in photography refers to the technique of integrating recurring elements, patterns, or themes in a composition to produce a sense of rhythm and balance in an image.
Space
The rule of space in photography is simply the act of adding visual space in front of the direction that an object is moving, looking or pointing to imply motion and direction and to lead the eye of the viewer. Positive space is the actual subject while negative space (also called white space) is the area surrounding the subject. The latter acts as breathing room for your eyes. Too little negative space results in cluttered and busy photographs with every element in the photo screaming for the viewer’s attention.
Texture
Texture refers to the visual quality of the surface of an object, revealed through variances in shape, tone and colour depth. Texture brings life and vibrancy to images that would otherwise appear flat and uninspiring. Texture in an image can be regarded as any visual pattern, either repeating or non-repeating.
Value/ Tone
Tone is simply the lightness or darkness of an object. Sometimes referred to as value, tone is one of the most powerful design elements. In any painting, photograph or design, the area of highest contrast between light and dark will always demand maximum attention. Value in photography represents how dark or light color and its hue can be. Values are comprehended with a visual like a gradient or scale. When your photograph has a lot of tonal variants, you will end up with low contrast.
Colour
We use colour in photography to create visual contrast, direct attention, evoke mood, and more. Of all the Elements of photography, colour is perhaps the most complex, but also, often has the most immediate impact. Colour can impact our viewers’ emotional response to an image.
Lines are a great starting point when thinking about formal elements, as they are almost everywhere. Start by looking for lines in your composition that can guide the viewer through your shot or to a specific focal point. These are known as leading lines.
Shape
Effectively representing shape and form in your compositions can turn objects, landscapes and figures into defined, striking focal points. Using various lighting techniques, such as backlighting, silhouettes, and paying attention to shadows, will help elevate the shapes and forms in your shot.
Space
Building space into your compositions creates a sense of scale and brings added depth to your shot. It can also provide breathing room for your image’s main subject, allowing the viewer to focus on the scene’s primary features.
Repetition
This can involve the repeated use of lines, shapes, colors, textures, or other visual elements that create a sense of consistency and uniformity. The repetition photography examples could be anything—a row of trees, a series of arches, a field of sunflowers, or even a group of people dressed similarly.
Texture
Texture is a visual representation of how something feels, whether it is rough or smooth or soft or prickly. The cues we use to determine texture as we look at a subject (or scene) are variations in colour, shadow, line, shape, and depth.
Colour
A prominent colour in your image – whether it’s a concrete colour block or a set of similar colours that form a palette can make a bold statement in your shot.
Colours can also convey a mood to your image that will be emotive to the viewer. And you could also single out one particular colour to make a striking statement and have it ‘pop out’ of your shot.
Value/Tone
Focusing on tone in your image means using variables of contrast and light and dark areas to bring depth to your image.
The tone is fundamental in black-and-white photography, where it should be used to guide the viewer through your image where there is no colour present to focus their attention.
Practice makes perfect when it comes to tone, and we recommend trying different lighting scenarios and contrast levels for your preferred aesthetic.
Francis Bruguière
Francis Bruguière (1879–1945) was an American photographer and avant-garde artist known for his pioneering work in abstract photography. Initially a portrait and commercial photographer, Bruguière became famous for his experimental use of light and shadow, creating abstract images through techniques like multiple exposures and cut-paper compositions. His work was influential in pushing photography beyond its traditional documentary role into the realm of fine art. Bruguière also worked in film and design, collaborating with prominent figures in the early 20th-century modernist movement.
Francis Bruguier inspires me as he uses unique styles and cut outs of paper. He also intelligently configures light by using cut-outs held against un-natural light to get shadows.
Photoshoot
I put all of my pictures from the photo shoot into
My Chosen Images
Using Lightroom I picked out and made a folder regarding my best pictures from the Photo Shoot. I then proceeded to compare my images and pick the top 20.
Using the colour-coding method on lightroom i picked out my favourites and marked them in green. This made it easier for me to then go on to organize them into a set folder
ISO is a camera setting that measures the sensor’s sensitivity to light.
High ISO means greater sensitivity to light, allowing you to capture images in darker conditions, but it can create visual noise (graininess) in the photo. Low ISO means less sensitivity, resulting in clearer, smoother images in bright light but needing more light to properly expose the photo. Visual noise refers to the unwanted grainy or speckled appearance in an image.
You might want to use a high ISO in low-light situations, like indoors, at night, or during events where using a flash is not allowed. It helps you capture images without blurriness from slow shutter speeds.
White balance
White balance in photography refers to the process of adjusting the colours in an image so that they look natural under different lighting conditions. Different types of light, like sunlight, fluorescent bulbs, or candlelight, can give photos a yellow, blue, or green tint. By setting the correct white balance, a photographer ensures that white objects appear truly white and that all colours in the image look accurate.
When white balance is off, the overall mood of the image can change dramatically. For example, an image with a warm, yellow tint might feel cozy but could also look unnatural. On the other hand, a cool, blue tint can create a feeling of calmness but might make skin tones look unnatural. By adjusting white balance, photographers can enhance the emotional impact of their images and make them look more pleasing to the eye.
Francis Bruguière
Francis Bruguière was an influential American photographer and painter known for his innovative use of photography in the early 20th century. He explored various techniques, including the manipulation of ISO settings, to achieve unique artistic effects. Bruguière’s work often combined elements of abstraction with traditional photography, pushing the boundaries of how images could be created and perceived.
His experiments with ISO allowed him to play with light sensitivity, capturing images in unconventional ways. By using high ISO settings, he could create striking contrasts and textures, adding depth to his compositions. This approach not only showcased his technical skills but also reflected his artistic vision, where the interplay of light and shadow became central to his work.
Bruguière’s legacy continues to inspire photographers today, emphasizing the importance of technical experimentation in achieving artistic expression. His contributions to the field illustrate how understanding and manipulating camera settings like ISO can lead to innovative and impactful photography.
Brendan Austin
Brendan Austin is a talented photographer known for his unique approach to capturing textures through his work with ISO settings. He focuses on how different light and shadow interact with surfaces, bringing out intricate details that often go unnoticed. By experimenting with various ISO levels, he creates that emphasize the tactile quality of materials, making viewers almost feel the textures through the photos.
Austin’s work showcases a wide range of subjects, from natural elements like leaves and bark to man-made objects like metal and fabric. His keen eye for detail allows him to transform ordinary scenes into striking visual narratives, inviting viewers to explore the world around them in new ways. Through his photography, he celebrates the beauty of texture, encouraging appreciation for the small details that enrich our everyday lives.
My own photos experimenting with ISO
Firstly, I imported all of my photos into adobe Lightroom for selection and editing.
I went through all the photos and flagged the ones that I thought were good photos or interesting ones.
Here are all the ones that I thought were interesting photos with varying ISO.
ISO 100 32mm f/4.5 1/4 sec
The image on the left is the raw image of a paper ball using a standard ISO of 100. I decided that the image was a bit too dark; to fix this, i added these changes:
I Increased the exposure, contrast and whites to make the image brighter and more clear. I then decreased the vibrance a bit since the paper ball had a bit of a blue colour to it. I think the edited image is better as the subject is more clear and in focus.
Next, i started experimenting with different ISO levels to see how the visual noise changed and how it effected my image.
ISO 160 34mm f/6.3 1.0 sec400 ISO 34mm f/6.3 1.0 sec
This is the exact same image but the only thing I changed was in the second photo I increased the ISO level. The first photo has an ISO level of 160 which is pretty standard, however in the second photo the ISO level is 400. Increasing the ISO means that the lens has a greater sensitivity to light, which is shown in the image as it is brighter and more exposed than the first.
ISO 1000 34mm f/6.3 1/20 sec
In this photo I used an ISO of 1000. This is clearly shown as the image very grainy – visual noise. In the photos above, the increase in ISO meant that the image was over exposed and brighter. However, in this case, I also made the shutter speed faster, which in doing, means that the lens was open for a shorter period of time therefore, letting less light into the camera which makes the image darker.
ISO 8000 34mm f/6.3 1/20 sec
In this photo I increased the ISO even more which is definitely shown by the over exposing and the image demonstrates lots of visual noise as it is very grainy. This is the same photo as above but the only difference is the ISO is 8000 not 1000. This increases the exposure as the image is a lot brighter than the first. The increase in ISO means that the camera is more sensitive to light, hence why with the higher ISO the image is brighter.
Texture is the visual quality of the surface of an object, seen through tone colour and depth.
James Welling
James Welling was born in 1951 in Connecticut, Welling is an artist photographer and educator currently living in New York. He began taking photographs in 1976, His first body of work consisted of LA architecture and portraits. 1978 is when he moved to New York and started straying away from more traditional forms of photography such as portraiture and landscapes and moved more towards abstract photography by using tin foil, drapes and jelly, these images were later exhibited in New York exhibitions throughout 1981, 1982 and 1984.
Welling joined UCLA in 1995 as a faculty member and began working with digital technology and colour.
images by James Welling ( fire of mind )
For texture we used scrunched up paper for our paper experiments. Paper is a good thing to use when experimenting with the theme of texture as the wrinkles in the paper when it is scrunched up, which was somewhat inspired by James Welling’s images.
James Welling Analysis
This is a digital photo of a crumpled piece of paper. The genre of this style of photography is abstract.
The mise-en-scene presents the abstract photo of a crumpled piece of paper which had been scrunched folded up then layed flat again, the tone of this image is quite light, for example if you look at the really bright area it even looks a bit over exposed. The use of light in this image is quite harsh artificial light as well as being lit from the side. Evidence of this is on the dark areas / shadows of the image which you can see are directional. The focus distance is short as it is a close up photo and the depth of field is large as everything is in focus. The photographer has used leading lines is the folds of the paper to lead your eyes through out the image. The photographer has clearly not used the rule of thirds as the leading lines are dissecting the thirds.
I believe the ISO is 100 as everything is in focus and not grainy. I believe that the shutter speed is 1000 as everything is clear.
contact sheet
for these images I tried in a range of different coloured lights and different lighting angles to be able to create
Final Edited images
I edited each of these images differently, as I used different coloured lights, and different lighting angles. All these images had an ISO of 100.
ISO 100, F/3.5 , 1/100 sec
This image that I have edited is one of my particular favourites as the shadows of the paper have a sort of blue tint on them, and I think this contrasts really well with the red lighting I’ve used in the image, this helps to create depth in the image.
Photoshoot 2
I decided to take some more images of the paper trying out have multiple lights and different angles, as well as thing image my ISO was 6400 as all my other images were ISO 100 I thought I’d change the ISO and see how they come out.
Contact sheet
Edited images
When taking these images I really thought about experimenting more with the paper, such as making the paper flat again, using different kinds of paper to get different crumpled effects. As well as using multiple balls of paper.
This particular image I took is one of my favourites from my shoot, as I like the warm tint this images as I think compliments the different variety’s of paper that I’ve used.
These are images I also really like as I think they are a very creative way to show the paper, as they aren’t just paper balls I’ve then layed the out and cut them / displayed them in a unique way that I think it really appealing to the eye.
Photoshop experimentation
To create this above image I started with one on my images and copied it and flipped it so that it was on top of the previous image and use the smudge tool to kind of blend them together a bit better. I then opened a different one of my images and placed it on top the flipped image and turn the opacity down so that you were still able to see the original flipped image underneath.
To create this image I picked which of my photos I wanted as my background photo, I knew I was going to add the cut outs so I chose a monochrome photo so that the colours of the triangles would pop a bit more. To create the cut out triangles I opened a few other of my images and used the shape tool to draw a triangle on the image. I then used the magnetic lasso tool to trace around the triangle, when doing this make sure your on the background layer, once I have traced around my triangle right click and select “layer via cut” I then rearranged the layers depending on what triangles I wanted to overlap, as well as changing the opacity of some of the triangles.
Aaron Siskind
Aaron Siskind was an American photographer, his photography focuses on detail of surfaces that present as flat surfaces. Siskind was part of the abstract expressionist movement. Siskind was born in New York and shortly after graduating from City college, to which he then became an English teacher in a public school in New York for 25 years. He began his photography career after receiving a camera as a wedding present. In 1981 Siskind published a book featuring 52 photographs, which included portraits of local residents and about their lives. The book also included interviews and stories from the residents featured in the book, the purpose of the book was to document the reality of urban life in New York.
Image by Aaron Siskind
Siskind Analysis
This is a film photo of a brick wall. The genre of this style of photography is abstract.
The mise-en-scene presents the abstract photo of a crumbling brick wall which had been painted on and graffitied the tone of this image is quite dark, for example if you look at the stencil paint work of the 5 that is an extremely dark tone. The use of light in this image is very subtle natural light as well as being directional as the light is only gently coming from one side of this image, evidence of this is on the top of the pillar you can see the lightest tone of the picture clearly where the light is hitting the focus distance is short as it is a close up photo and the depth of field is large as everything is in focus. The photographer has used leading lines which you can see as the very dark arrow and the dark 5 lead your eyes. The photographer has clearly not used the rule of thirds as it is a flat wall and nothing really sticks out.
I believe the ISO is 100 as everything is in focus and not grainy. I believe that the shutter speed is 1000 as everything is clear.
As Aaron Siskind states; ” photography is a way of feeling, of touching and loving. Whatever you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything. We look at the world and see what we have learned to believe is there” You can tell in this photograph as Siskind says it’s about the little things and he cares about the little things that others may not see and I think this really comes through in his photography, as he’s looking at a crumbling wall that most people would just walk past everyday and not pay any attention too. I think Siskind has an amazing talent to capture something so average with such beauty and skill is brilliant.
Home photoshoot
To take these images I went for a walk in the woods by my house, as I thought a good way to display texture would be trough the bark of trees. And whilst on my walk there were some rusty fences with the paint flaking and peeling so I also thought those would be good to take picture of.
Edited images
This image that I have taken is of a pinecone I found on my walk, and i thought that it would be a really good way to display texture, as well as it being a unique angle.
I have made these images monochrome to link my images back to Aaron Siskind’s , as all of Siskind’s images are monochrome.
I think out of all my images that I have taken this one relates to Aaron Siskind the most and it is close up and the moss on the trees that has turned white looks like some of Siskind’s peeled paint images, as well as the dark cracks kind of remind me of a desert.
Experimentation
To create this experiment image I went into photoshop and opened my monochrome image I edited and opened the colour version and used the polygon lasso tool and cut out the green wire and placed it onto the monochrome image for a pop of colour which contrasts really well and personally I think really goes.
A reason I chose to make the wire the original colour is because in the original image that I had made monochrome I felt like the wire was getting lost in the texture of the bark, so I thought that if I made it green it wouldn’t get lost and you still get the contrast of the texture.
My virtual gallery
To make this gallery I used the website artsteps and entered my images, and I decided to make them all a bit more uniform. Most of my images are in black and white ( monochrome ) however I have chosen certain images with more colour and scattered them around to try and contrast the monochrome images.
Ainsworth born in 1978 is an artist from London who practices in sculpture, acting, video and 3D printing however is well-known for his striking works of urban photography. He studied and graduated in 2007 with a masters degree at London College of communication. lectures at He focuses mostly on areas of the world that are overlooked and the relationship between organic and in-organic structures excluding humans.
Frank Hallum Day born in 1948 who currently lives in Washington DC is a fine art photographer and the winner of many awards including the Bader prize 2006. He has taught photography as well as doing many of his own exhibitions from taking photos around the world. Hallum also worked for the US State department before he became a full time photographer.
A camera obscura is a simple device that creates an image by allowing light to pass through a small opening into a darkened room or box. When light from an external scene enters the box, it projects an inverted image of that scene on the opposite wall.
Nicephore Niepce
Nicéphore Niépce was a French inventor who is often credited with creating the first permanent photograph. In 1826 or 1827, he developed a process called heliography (later known as photography) and made the first successful photo, titled ‘View from the Window at Le Gras’. This image was captured on a pewter plate coated with a light-sensitive substance, and it required an exposure time of about 8 hours.
Niépce’s work laid the foundation for the development of modern photography, which was later improved upon by others like Louis Daguerre. His contribution is considered one of the earliest breakthroughs in the art and science of photography.
Louis Daguerre
Louis Daguerre was a French inventor and artist who is best known for inventing the daguerreotype, the first practical and widely used photographic process. In 1839, he introduced this method, which produced sharp, detailed images on polished metal plates. The daguerreotype was a huge breakthrough because it significantly reduced exposure times and made photography accessible to the public.
Daguerre’s process made photography more reliable and reproducible, and it quickly became popular around the world. As a result, he is often considered one of the “fathers of photography.” His invention played a key role in making photography a mainstream medium, influencing both art and technology.
Daguerreotype
A daguerreotype is an early type of photograph created on a shiny metal plate, usually made of copper and coated with a thin layer of silver. The image was formed by exposing the plate to light in a camera, then treating it with chemicals to reveal the photo.
The process produced very clear, detailed images, but each daguerreotype was a one-of-a-kind, unique picture (you couldn’t make copies). It was popular in the 19th century for portraits and became the first widely used method of photography.
Daguerreotypes were highly reflective and had a mirror-like finish, so they often looked different depending on the angle you viewed them from.
Henry Fox Talbot
Henry Fox Talbot was a British inventor and one of the pioneers of photography. He is best known for creating the calotype process in the 1830s, which was the first photographic method that allowed for the production of multiple copies from a single negative image.
Unlike the daguerreotype, which created a unique, one-of-a-kind image, the calotype used paper coated with light-sensitive chemicals to create a negative image. This negative could then be used to make multiple positive prints, which was a huge step forward in the development of photography. Talbot’s process was a key development that led to modern photographic techniques, especially the use of negatives and prints.
He is often considered one of the co-founders of photography, alongside figures like Louis Daguerre, though his approach to photography was different.
Richard Maddox
Richard Maddox was an English scientist and photographer who made a key contribution to the development of photography by inventing the dry plate process in 1871. Before his invention, photographers used wet plates that had to be prepared and exposed while still wet, which was messy and time-consuming.
Maddox’s dry plate was coated with light-sensitive chemicals and could be stored for a period of time before being exposed in the camera. This made photography much more convenient and practical because photographers no longer had to prepare plates on-site. His invention laid the foundation for modern photographic film, making photography more accessible and helping to speed up its development into the mass medium we know today.
George Eastman
George Eastman was an American inventor and businessman who revolutionized photography by making it affordable and accessible to the general public. In 1888, he introduced the Kodak camera, a simple, easy-to-use camera that came pre-loaded with film. After taking pictures, the user could send the whole camera back to Eastman’s company to have the film developed and printed, and then get the camera reloaded with new film.
Eastman’s innovation made photography something ordinary people could do, not just professionals. He is credited with popularizing amateur photography and helping to create the modern photography industry. His company, Eastman Kodak, became one of the biggest names in photography for much of the 20th century.
Kodak (Brownie)
The Kodak Brownie was a simple, inexpensive camera introduced in 1900 by George Eastman’s company, Kodak. It was designed for beginners and made photography accessible to the general public. The Brownie used roll film, which made it easy to take multiple pictures without needing to load individual glass plates, like earlier cameras.
The Brownie was small, lightweight, and easy to use, with just a few simple controls. It was aimed at everyday people, encouraging them to take snapshots of their lives. The camera’s affordable price and user-friendly design helped make photography popular and widespread. It’s often seen as one of the key devices that brought photography to the masses.
Digital Photography
The evolution of digital photography began in the 1960s and 1970s with early experiments in converting light into digital signals. In 1975, Kodak engineer Steven Sasson created the first digital camera, though it was large and produced very low-quality images. The 1980s saw the first commercial digital cameras, but they were expensive and had low resolution compared to traditional film.
In the 1990s, digital cameras became more affordable and popular. Compact digital cameras, with digital sensors and LCD screens, allowed consumers to take and view photos easily, replacing film cameras for many users. This decade also saw the rise of digital cameras in other devices, including early cell phones.
The 2000s brought the rise of digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, which offered high-quality photos with interchangeable lenses, catering to both professionals and serious enthusiasts. Meanwhile, camera phones started to improve, and by the late 2000s, smartphones with built-in cameras became commonplace, allowing millions of people to capture and share photos instantly.
Today, digital photography is dominated by smartphones, which continue to improve in quality thanks to advanced sensors, AI, and software features like portrait mode and low-light capabilities. Camera technology has also advanced with features like 4K video, mirrorless cameras, and new types of image processing, making photography more accessible and versatile than ever before.
Autofocus is a camera feature that automatically adjusts the lens to make the subject of your photo sharp and clear, so you don’t have to focus manually.
Manual focus is when you adjust the lens yourself to make the subject of your photo sharp and clear, instead of the camera doing it automatically.
Focal Length
Focal length is the distance between the camera lens and the image sensor when the lens is focused on a subject. It affects how zoomed in or out your photo looks.
A shorter focal length (like 18mm) gives a wide view, while a longer focal length (like 200mm) makes things appear closer, like zooming in.
Aperture
In photography, the aperture is the opening in the lens that allows light to enter the camera and onto the the sensor or film.
Or to put it simply, aperture is the opening through which light passes into the camera.
F-stops
Aperture is measured in f-stops.
The ‘f’ in f-stops stands for focal length.
f-stops are the size of the hole which lets light in through the camera.
Depth of Field
Depth of field is what’s in focus, in front and behind the subject.
Settings: Shutter Speed 1/45, Aperture 5.6, ISO 400
Settings: Shutter Speed 1/3, Aperture 22, ISO 400
Settings: Shutter Speed 1/180, Aperture 2.8, ISO 400
Ralph Eugene Meatyard
Meatyard made his living as an optician, born in 1925 and died in 1976. He was a member of the Lexington Camera Club and pursued his passion for photography outside the mainstream. He experimented with various strategies including multiple exposures, motion blur, and other methods of photographic abstraction. Two of his series are particularly concerned with focus and depth of field, both stretching the expressive potential of photography, film and cameras when looking with the ordinary world.
A visual element is any characteristic that can been seen in a photograph. This can include, line, shape, space, repetition, texture, colour and tone.
Jaroslav Rossler
My paper experiments
Jaroslav Rossler is a photographer who works with paper to create interesting formal elements in his work. This is achieved by the folding and cutting of paper to create shapes. His work includes a lot of tone which I tried to build in my own paper images by photographing my designs on white and black backgrounds. I also created the visual noise seen in Rossler’s photos by turning up my cameras ISO when shooting my photographs. This helped to create grain and texture within my pictures. I believe that my photos taken on the black background were more effective due to the stronger creation of space within the photos. The negative space may have also been enhanced by a more harsh and artificial light as opposed to the natural light I used in my shoot.
Gradient Overlay Experimentation
Final Edits and Presentation
For my final composition, I worked with my photos on the black background due to them being more successful. This worked well as it allowed me to create a triptych display. I altered my pictures to have the sepia effect which is seen in Rossler’s work. I also adjusted the green colour balance of my images to make them more accurate to his work’s colour palette. To display my photographs, I arranged them in a purple grid as this is a harmonious colour to the sepia tone and therefore does the images more justice. This also helps to add my own flare in comparison to my very Rossler based work. As well as colour edits, I worked on creating more dramatic value by upping the contrast and exposure of the photos in photoshop. The use of leading lines also helps to highlight the dark and light tones.
Adobe Lightroom is used to organize, store and edit images.
Importing Images
On Lightroom there is an import button in which you can import photos to store in Lightroom.
On Library mode, you can flag images and give them a rating out of 5 stars. This makes it easier to organize which images are the best or which images you want to edit.
Navigator Tool
Navigator tool gives you presets, which give you pre-made filters that you can add to your images.
Develop Mode
Develop mode lets you manually edit your images by adjusting the contrast, saturation ect.
Here is all my images in lightroom.
Here I made a folder for all my texture images, so my images are more organised and easier to access.
