Basic elements in photography
It will help us to think of pictures as containing, in various degrees, some or all of the following elements: form, light, color and effect. What is meant by these?
Form
This is the shape of the objects in a picture’s composition. When we begin photography, we learn how to place forms harmoniously in the viewfinders of our cameras.
Light
Photography cannot exist without light; the photographer models with light as a potter models with clay. Sometimes, however, photographers make a special feature of light and use concentrations of it.
Color
This is usually present in all our pictures, but photographers sometimes select a subject especially for its color. This then becomes the principal reason for the picture.
Effect
Some pictures are more concerned with visual effects than any other element. Often these effects are photographed to create atmosphere such as silhouettes or sunsets. Other effects might be reflections in water or shafts of sunlight pouring into a cathedral — see if you can think of others.
Obviously these elements merge into one another, but usually they occur in a recognizable order. When we look at pictures we must try to interpret their meaning. We must try to read them as we read words. Let us consider the accompanying nine scenes.
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