Elements of Art in Photography

September 5, 2016 · by hhsrop · in Units. ·

The elements of art and principles of design in any artistic medium are the building blocks used to create a work
of art. The elements of art in photography can be thought of as the things (the elements) that make up the
photograph. Good or bad, all photos contain some if not all of the 7 elements of art. Review the elements of art
and make sure you have composed a photograph that demonstrates your understanding of each of the elements.
Edit the images as needed in Adobe photoshop and rename the file based on that element (i.e. line.jpg,
shape.jpg, form.jpg, etc.) upload all seven elements of art images, plus your rule-of-thirds and portrait to your
flickr photo stream. Share the best ONE of the series with the group (not all 9). Each image is worth 5 points
for a total of 45 points.

Line – a continuous mark made on a surface. Lines can be used to create a pattern in an image or lines can be
used in a composition to help lead our eye to a focal point.
 Shape – shapes are generally flat, two-dimensional objects that can be
characterized by their recognizable shape (circle, square, star, figure…). They can be geometric or organic.

Form – objects with form take up space. Shadows helps to emphasize form
in a photograph.

Space – is the distance or area between, above, around or within things. It

can be the area taken up by the object or the area around the object. Space can be negative (empty) or it can
have depth.
 Color – Color is the most expressive element of art. Often
complementary colors (colors opposite each other on the color wheel) and analogous colors (colors next to each
other on a color wheel) are pleasing to the eye and can create harmony in an image.

Tone – Tone in black and white photography refers to overall

lightness and darkness in an image. When a dark tone is next to a light tone it creates contrast. Contrast can
help emphasize a detail in a photograph that may otherwise have gone unnoticed. In black and white
photography we refer to the “color” as tone. If a photograph has a wide “tonal range” it has a wide range of
lights and darks.

Texture – how a surface feels (rough, smooth, wet or dry, soft or hard). Texture
is valuable element in a photograph because it engages another sense besides sight. Texture is tactile, that is, it
appeals to our sense of touch.