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SPI Foundation in Photography Course
Module 1: Picture shapes
Module 1: Picture shapes
18 November 2007
The brief for this module was to submit 5 pictures:

Image 1: A vertical rectangular image
Image 2: A horizontal rectangular image
Image 3: A square image
Image 4: A vertical panoramic image
Image 5: A horizontal panoramic image

10 possible themes were given for the pictures from which I chose:

Image 1: Nature
Image 2: A scene from my local environment
Image 3: A still object
Image 4: A building or structure
Image 5: Motion.

Other Modules
<b>Image 1: Vertical rectangular image<br>Nature</b><br>I wanted to capture the 'glow' that seemed to emanate from the delicate rim of these little mushrooms as they reminded me of miniature lamps. The vertical format suited this scene well as it allowed me to capture the clump in its natural environment. I think this choice of format was correct for this scene but the out of focus mushroom in the background is distracting and when I tried to crop it out of the image the balance of the composition was upset. I wish I had moved round to the right slightly so as to exclude it.
<b>Image 2: Horizontal rectangular image<br>A scene from my local environment</b><br>I noticed a break in the clouds that was bathing this scene in wonderful late afternoon light and I had to act quickly to capture this image before it disappeared. I was a long way away and I knew I would have to crop the image heavily to get the composition I wanted. The horizontal format works well for this scene but I think there is too much empty space between the house and the trees in the foreground and I feel the image would have been better taken from further down in the valley thus reducing the 'dead' space.
<b>Image 3: Square image<br>A still object</b><br>I chose the square format for this image to accentuate the diagonal lines the shell was making as it spiralled round. I also thought that this approach would make the shape of the shell stronger within the frame of the image. I tried several arrangements of the shell as I shot it and this image is I feel the best but I still think the object looks a little awkward in the frame and the image is not as dynamic as I would have liked.
<b>Image 4: Vertical panoramic image<br>A building or structure</b><br>This beacon is situated on the cliff at Walton on the Naze and I was impressed by the strong shape of the structure which I thought would suit the vertical panoramic format well. I think the grey sky helps the structure stand out but I don't think I have made the most of the texture of the post in this image. Moving to the left so that the light was at more of a right angle may have improved this.
<b>Image 5: Horizontal panoramic image<br>Motion</b><br>I wanted to capture the excitement of Brands Hatch by using rear-sync flash and a longish shutter speed to record the car as a blur followed by a sharp image. I wanted to use the panoramic format to allow some space in front of and behind the car without any distractions above and below it. I am reasonably pleased with this shot given the technical difficulty in getting the timing right but I could have balanced the ambient light and the flash better to show more of the 'speed' blur behind the car.
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Copyright © 2007 Andy Gooden