Focal POINT and FillING the Frame

Filling the Frame

In this lesson you will learn how to 'fill the frame' and create a collage. It is very common when starting to take photographs to take the shot too far away. In this lesson I want you to really think about what it is that you want to take a photograph of and fill the entire frame with your subject.

1. For this challenge, I want you to go into your garden, balcony or take a short walk outside and stay in a small space and find things to photograph. Spend at least 30 minutes photographing an entire area. Force yourself to stay in one space and try to find things to photograph, and I bet there are things you never noticed before. Take at least 50 photographs.

2. When you take the photographs you MUST:

• Zoom in

• Fill Your Frame

• Don't put your subject right in the middle

• Lock your focus on one thing and try to blur out the background

• Shoot in both vertical and horizontal format

• Try different angles

• Shoot with good lighting (which is why I want you to be outside)

3. Look through all the photographs you have taken and choose your top 10 favourite ones.

4. You can use your mobile phone or the free Snapseed app to edit. Demonstrate that you can edit some of your photographs to black and white and make the colour contrast on others more vivid. Save your edited photographs to your phone.

5. Finally create a collage of your favourite edited photographs. Create a collage of your favourite edited shots using your phone or the PicCollage app. Watch these YouTube videos which show you how to do this: Phone collage, PicCollage app.

6. Go back to Google classroom and turn in your collage.

WAGOLL

Below is an example of the collage of photographs you will create following this lesson:

Focal Point and Landscape

It is really important to include a focal point in an image. You can bring the viewer into the photo the photo with a strong focal point. With practice you will really see the difference.

This lesson is more of an experimentation with focal points to visually show you how important they are. You are going to photograph a landscape, or a cityscape, while making use of a focal point. Then, photograph the same subject and remove the focal point.

You are going to take a similar set of photographs. One with a clear focal point and one without. You can do this in your garden or go for a short walk near your house.

1. Identify a point of interest (your focal point) and ask yourself how you can enhance it. A focal point can be virtually anything ranging from a person, to a building, to a mountain, to a car, to a flower etc. Obviously the more interesting the focal point the better – but there are other things you can do to enhance it’s power including but certainly not limited to:

• Position – Place it in a prominent position – you might want to utilize the rule of thirds for some ideas.

• Leading Line -- Use a S-Curve or straight line to lead the viewers eye to the main focal point.

• Focus – Use Depth of Field to blur out other aspects in front or behind your focal point.

• Blur – If you really want to get tricky you might want to play with slower shutter speeds if your main subject is still and things around it are moving.

• Edit -- You can use Snapseed or Pixlr to intentionally blur out some areas of the photo during your editing

• Size – making your focal point large is not the only way to make it prominent – but it definitely can help.

• Color – using contrasting colors can also be a way of setting your point of interest apart from it’s surroundings.

• Shape – similarly contrasting shapes and textures can make a subject stand out – especially patterns that are repeated around a subject.

• Keep in mind that a combination of above elements can work well together.

• Lastly – don’t confuse the viewer with too many competing focal points which might overwhelm the main focal point. Secondary points of interest can be helpful to lead the eye but too many strong ones will just clutter and confuse.

2. Afterwards look at them side by side and figure out which one you like better?

3. Create a collage of two photographs only. The exact same scene, but one with a focal point and one without. Watch these YouTube videos which show you how to do this: Phone collage, PicCollage app.

4. Go back to Google classroom and turn in your collage. Write a very brief note in the comments describing which of the two photographs in your collage you like the best and why.

Line & Filling the Frame

Painting with light is a skill that can be learned. Your job as a photographer is to make visually appealing photos, and good photographers know the Elements of Art & Design. Another skill to understand is COMPOSITION, and to know where to place things in the frame of your camera. The most important part of photography is also to understand how to see and use LIGHT.

Two things I want you to consider with this composition project is:

• LINE: There are different types of lines, like long, short, thick and thin. Lines can cause the viewer to do something, such as having an EMOTIONAL reaction. The different types of lines: wavy, curved, diagonal, jagged lines. Lines can also LEAD the viewers eyes throughout an image.

• FILLING YOUR FRAME: This tool can radically change the impact of your image. You choose what to include in the frame, and ultimately what you don't want the viewer to see.Consider your ANGLE, and fill your frame to make the most interesting looking photo. Walk closer, and closer and closer to make your pictures way more exciting and visually appealing. Don't let your viewer get distracted!

• 1. For this shoot, you will take 25 photos of lines, and fill your frame as you capture your shots.

  2. Choose your favourite 4-6 shots and edit them using your mobile phone or the free Snapseed app.

  3. Finally, create a collage using your phone of PicCollage. Watch these YouTube videos which show you how to do this: Phone collage, PicCollage app.

  4. Go back to Google classroom and turn in your completed collage.

WAGOLL

Below is an example of the collage of photographs you will create following this lesson: