Elements of a Photograph

What elements in a photograph can be manipulated for conveying the photographer's own agenda?

I think that many elements in a photograph can be manipulated so that the photographer's message can be conveyed correctly to the viewer. These elements include, but are not limited to: subject, shape, color, line, lighting, composition and angle.

Subject is the main thing the photographer wants to shoot in the photograph. This is what the viewer usually focuses on; technical elements are what aid to make it more interesting and memorable. The subject in the photograph below is the girl.

"The subject in the photograph below is the girl."

Shape, color and line are the main components that make up each photograph. These are the elements that the viewer's eyes move around with. Looking at different types of shapes, colors and lines gives the viewer different emotions and feelings. Comparing the two images below, you can quite obviously see the difference between the emotions for the two. The first one, which has bright colors, natural shapes and light lines, gives the viewer a happy feeling. While the second one, with dark colors, and rigid shapes and straight lines, gives the viewer a feeling of frustration and anger.

 

"you can quite obviously see the difference between the emotions for the two."

Lighting is the different amount of light used in a photograph. The darkness or lightness (color and hue) define the feeling of the photograph. The photograph with the darker lighting below gives you a feeling of eeriness, loneliness, and sadness. In comparison, the photograph with the brighter lighting gives you a feeling of happiness, hope, and excitement.

Dark vs. bright lighting

As Ming Thein states, "composition is how the various elements of an image are located relative to one another, and how this spatial relationship tells the story of the main subject or conveys the desired message". Putting the subject next to different objects may mean different things. For example, in the three photographs below, the subject is the same (Unisphere). But using different composition, it changes the photograph dramatically.

Different composition

Angling is positioning the camera to shoot from different angles to see the subject relative to the background in different ways. Different angles allow for the viewer to look at the subject in different ways. In the photographs below, the photographer is shooting the same subject (a green boat), but using different angles. As you can see, they all look different, giving the viewer different perspectives and conveying different feelings and emotions.

Different angles

For more specific information, look at "What Makes a Good Photograph?".

It is important to manipulate all these elements in the right way to convey the right message to the viewer.