ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the subject in a series of images each revealing one aspect of the subject, initially working through the formal elements. From the world of art and the compositional analysis of paintings, the formal elements are; line, shape, tone and form, texture, space and colour. The formal elements are qualities – characteristics of the subject being photographed – they are not processes. An important part of photographic composition is recognizing the formal elements and organizing them to produce a final image. Shape is usually defined by one of the other formal elements, such as line. Shapes are even described as being delineated, but shape can also be composed of an area of even or gradually changing tone. A shape, however it is defined, is still a two-dimensional object in an image. It covers an area and is described as having ‘mass’. What makes a shape take on form is the introduction of shading within its boundaries.
