Diagonals

Monday 4th July 2011

Diagonals

These metal rods support the gable on a dutch house. As they form part of a bracket, they give the sense of strength.

1/25 F16 ISO400 200mm Focal Length

This Dutch windmill with its reflection gives the impression that it is unstable. By re cropping, I have been able to make it look stronger and more stable.

1/400 ISO200 F10 Focal Length 24mm

Freeman (2007) suggests that "diagonals appear more dynamic when they form a stronger angle with the longer side of the frame". I have cropped the picture and if I had taken it in landscape, it would have more energy.

These modern windmills show diagonals looking as though they are falling.The position of the blades was important to add a sense of unity to the picture. Taken from this perspective, they appeared to be moving at different speeds: timing was crucial to avoid chaos. This picture shows perspective; the windmills are the same height and distance from each other.

1/500 F4.5 ISO100 Focal Length 116mm

There are several diagonals within this picture. The working arm is a strong single diagonal and the 2 hay bales are an example of parallel diagonals. The contrast between the stormy sky and sunlight reflecting on the field give the feeling of strength, whereas the hay bales look like they may fall.

1/80 F11 ISO200 Focal Length 300mm

Reference(1), Page 76, Freeman, M (2007) The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos, Lewes: The Ilex Press Limited

Freeman 2007, (p76-79) illustrates different types of diagonals. His first picture of an F4 aircraft uses structures which are straight positioned in such a way that they sit across the frame stretching from the bottom right corner to the top left corner. He used a low camera angle which gives a sense of perspective. There is instability in this picture because the man is also at a diagonal angle and looks like he may fall. It adds tension to the scene.

With the changing rooms on the beach, diagonals direct the the eye to the three people walking along the sand. Freeman  2007 (p77)notes that "the graphic movement is single minded and the bias of direction is set by the walking figures". In his second picture of the changing rooms, he states that "the of direction produces more internal activity" . There are still people, but in a different position, between the zig zags. I would agree with this description because in picture one, the people are seen immediately. In picture 2, I had to spend longer looking at the picture to find all the people. I think having the path across the middle of the picture gives more energy and interest to the picture.

In the single diagonal line picture of the stadium, Freeman 2007 (p79) showed a diagonal line running from nearly corner to corner and an athlete at the bottom of the frame. This is a strong diagonal because it runs across the whole picture. It draws attention to the runner where the stadium is so large that the runner may not be seen. The eye follows the diagonal line downwards. I think it also gives a sense of scale to the picture.