1. Positioning a point

A. Point in the centre

This is a close-up image of a sea-anenome taken during a macro photoshoot in a marine wildlife centre. I feel that the positioning of the white point - part of the anatomy of the anenome - works because it is fundamental to the balance and symmetry that are key features of the image. It also keeps the viewer's eye centred and enables them to take-in the whole of the striking pattern of red stripes between the tentacles.






B. Point a little off-centre

This image was also taken during a macro photoshoot. The depth of field is very limited, therefore I focused on the eye and thought hard about  its placement in the frame as it would clearly be the point that attracts the viewer's eye. This is not a symmetrical image therefore a centre point is likely to create imbalance; the fish to one side and nothing to the other. Therefore I filled most of the frame with the fish and the positioning of the eye at a distance from the left edge helps to move the viewer's eye in the usual left-right direction. No eye, a dull eye or an eye out of focus would not have promoted that movement and left the viewer's eye moving aimlessly around a largely out-of-focus fish.

C. Point close to the edge

In this landscape I was attracted by the low winter sun reflecting off a shiny roof. I experimented with its  position. The edge position worked because it seemed to give a sort of  'destination' to the directional 'flow' of the walls and the hill. Positioning the bright spot in the centre or a little off-centre interrupted the flow and disturbed the composition of the picture for me.








Notes
To get some ideas for this section of the art of photography I looked at the work of one of my favourite photographers; Eugene Atget. Many of his images of Paris in the early 20th century seem to have a strong graphic element.  I found the following images particularly pertinent to this exercise:

Fete du Trone; Le Géant, 1925

In this image, it almost seems as thought the light bulb is drawing the viewer's attention to the picture of the giant; an otherwise fairly insignificant part of the picture which bears his name.

Escalier; Hotel de Sully-Charost, 1905.

Another image with a single light bulb. Along with the light on the bannister lower down, it helps to take the viewers eye around the curves of the staircase to a particular destination. The point at the edge of my landscape image seems to perform a similar function.

Parc de Saint-Cloud, Bassin de la Petite Gerbe, 1904.

The point in the centre of this almost symmetrical picture seems to serve a similar function to the centre-point in my sea-anenome. It fixes the eye in the middle of the picture and helps the viewer to see the overall pattern. Without it, there is a possibility that the leading lines in the reflections in the lake would take the eye straight through the gap in the trees into nowhere in particular.


(Images taken from Krase, A. (essay) and Adam, H.C. (ed.), 2008, Paris, Eugene Atget, Taschen).

An image I recently took with a light providing a single prominent point, similar to Atget's images,  was a night shot of Seahouses harbour. The light is off-centre towards the top of the image and provides a strong focal point for the pathway created by the reflection in the water. It therefore helps to draw attention to the boat, preventing the viewer fixing on the reflection.

In summary, I feel I have got the sense of movement, or holding it, that is described in the course notes. I am less certain about having achieved much of the sense of division that is also mentioned.