The organic shapes of the blown snow contrast with the decidedly geometric shapes of the parking lot lines.
Black and white photos free#
Organic shapes, because their outlines are more free form and less formulaic, are often less abstract but can still be a powerful compositional element, especially if juxtaposed against their geometric kin.
Due their precise structure, geometric shapes can be quite abstract and powerful. For example, if a sphere were considered a form, then a simple, white circle would be considered a shape.Īs with forms, shapes can be categorized as either geometric or organic. Shapes are similar to forms but appear as two-dimensional and have little interior detail. As their outline is less mathematical than a geometric form, they have a softer, more relaxing presence in the photograph. Rganic forms such as a leaf, mountain range or meandering stream have irregular or wavy outlines and often appear to be from the natural world. Naturally occurring objects such as crystals or basalt formations, with their straight edges and sharp angles, can also be considered geometric. They include buildings, roads, telephone poles or automobiles. Geometric forms have regular, precise, structured outlines and often appear, even if natural, as being manmade. That accessibility brings the viewer into the scene, evoking feelings of inclusion, appreciation, and comfort.įorms can be categorized as either geometric or organic. | 24mm, f/8 30 seconds, ISO100įorms are easily recognized so people have little trouble in understanding what they are looking at. The boulders, branches, and mountains in this scene all show three-dimensional characteristics thus, would be considered artistic forms. Forms are what we most often see when we are looking at traditional landscape photographs. They look what they are and what we expect them to be. like a duck mixed with a beaver, but you get the point. A tree looks like a tree, a rock like a rock, and a platypus like a… well. Forms show a range of tones and represent their subject matter. In art terminology, a form is simply an object that appears three-dimensional. But many, like me, simply don’t have a meaningful creative response to color. Some are rebelling against the popularity of color photography and others have a love for what are considered traditional landscapes. We have each chosen to create and present some or all of our work this way, and we do so for our own reasons. There are even more who photograph in black and white part-time. There are many photographers who, like me, photograph almost exclusively in black and white. I have the utmost respect for those who do it well. They can be meaningful and inspirational. The truth is that I love color photographs. In my presentations, I often ask why, if color photography were so wonderful, black and white was invented first. No longer dependent upon color cues, we must find our visual information in the physical characteristics of shape, form, texture, and lines.
By removing color, we change how the viewer’s eyes see the photograph.