A point is the smallest graphical element, if you join many points together you make a line. In mathematics, a point doesn’t have any weight at all, it indicates a place. So compositionally, a point has to be small within the frame and its position is generally more important than its form (see the example of the white polystyrene cup underneath the chair below).
Take three or four photographs in which a single point is placed in different parts of the frame. When composing the shots use these three rules: the place of the point shouldn’t be too obvious (such as right in the middle), the composition should hold a tension and be balanced (the golden section or rule of thirds) and the point should be easy to see. Evaluate the shots according to these rules and select which one you think works best.
Then take a few more shots without any rules, just being aware of the relationship of the point to the frame. Without the rules, how can you evaluate the shots? That will be a key question throughout the whole degree programme.
Add the photographs to your learning log together with brief observations.
Exemplar: Madi Yessenberlin https://ocamadi.wordpress.com/2015/11/04/project-2-visual-skills-exercise-1-2-point/
Point
I struggled with finding a point initially. But, following feedback from my tutor in which he said to keep things simple, I chose an item that was out of place. Technically when you have small children nothing is out of place! I saw one of the boys’ balls on its own on the patio which seemed like an ideal point.
My tutor had also suggested using a fixed lens during these early parts of the course, so I used my ‘pancake’ lens for this one – a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 and as I would be shooting outdoors I kept the ISO at 100 due to the bright conditions.
Of the 4 chosen images, the first 3 are all of roughly the same scale. Although the point is in different positions in the frame they don’t offer much of much variety of image. The fourth image is a bit more of an extreme positioning of the point and is vastly different from the other 3. All the images follow a grid setup in one form or another whether it be the rule of thirds or Fibonacci. These give the images balance even in their simplicity, even the fourth one!
I then tried to ignore the rules and placed the point wherever I wanted. This was quite hard as I am always looking out for compositional elements such as the rule of thirds and leading lines. Without rules the photos can look chaotic and uncomfortable. It’s a lot harder to break the rules than follow them.
Reflection
I may have oversimplified this exercise with the image only having one item in it. However, this exercise did show me that the focal point does need to be considered in the image, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be central. It also illustrated to me that taking lots of images from lots of different perspectives and focal lengths can give more variety of imagery even if it is just a blue sponge ball.
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