6 and 15

Two of the most frustrated trades are dentists and photographers-- dentists because they want to be doctors, and photographers because they want to be painters.
-Pablo Picasso

I've always admired - and even envied - the superior skills and wonderful works of our world's great painters. And while I don't necessarily agree with Picasso's quotation, I do believe painters and photographers share common goals and common ground. Both artists begin with a blank space and the task of filling it--in a complete, interesting, and ideally, thought-provoking fashion. But it seems to me, photographers really operate as painters in reverse: they don't create their subjects, their subjects create them by providing the vision they strive to capture and communicate.

In spite of their differences in ideology and methodology, painters, photographers, and all artists embrace a clear and simple set of rules that defines everything they conceive:

The 6 Elements of Design

Line: Horizontal(Tranquil), Vertical(Strong), Diagonal(Dynamic)
Shape: Natural(Active), Geometric(Passive)
Space: Proportion/Scale/Depth, Nearer: Greater Importance
Value: Light vs. Dark, High Contrast Moves Forward, Low Recedes
Color: Hue(Specific Name), Chroma(Intensity), Value(Light-Dark)
Texture: Rough/Smooth, Soft/Hard, Light and Shadow on the Surface

To take this discussion a step further(for photographers!), Photo Editor Larry Nighswander has identified 15 Elements of Composition that can control the "look" of your photographs. Some pictures contain one of the elements, while others will use several of them (note: every element will be defined and explored individually in future posts). The elements are:

Rule of Thirds
Controlled Depth of Field
Lighting as a Creative Device
Linear Perspective
Introducing Disorder
Framing
Silhouette
Juxtaposition
The Decisive Moment
Reflection
Selective Focus
Panning
Texture
Perspective
Dominant Foreground, Contributing Background

In light of all this fascinating information, it's no wonder that even a renowned painter can experience a change of heart!

I have discovered photography. Now I can kill myself. I have nothing else to learn. -Pablo Picasso