Humanities Essay

The humanities consists of a group of educational disciplines such as

painting, literature, sculpture, architecture, music, dance, drama and
theater arts, among others, which give particular emphasis on individual
expressions and human values

Humanus is the Latin word for humanities, which means “human,

cultured, and refined.” The word implies diverse meanings. For some
scholars, the humanities refers to the study of the principle underlying
conduct, thought, or a general principle about ethics, composure, and
calmness, which comprised a field of knowledge called philosophy (Pagay et
al., 2003; Pagay, 2013). Humanities also resonates the word umanisti
derived from the Latin studia humanitatis, which is often used to designate
the non- scientific scholarly disciplines like language, literature, rhetoric,
even history and religion.

Every discipline in the humanities is independent. Martin and

Jacobus (1978) describe, “The medium of painting is especially adaptable for
interpreting the visual appearance of things; sculpture for bringing out the
solidity of things; architecture for centralizing spatial contexts; literature for
probing the complexities of human character; drama for revealing with
extraordinary condensation the comedy and tragedy of human destiny;
music for clarifying the nuances of feeling; dance for vivifying states of mind;
and finally, film with its moving images that seem to go almost anywhere
has, perhaps, the broadest range of subject matter.”

However, although each of the discipline is autonomous they closely

interrelate with one another.
Martin and Jacobus (1978) say, “Sculpture without architecture is
sometimes like furniture without a home. Architecture without sculpture is
sometimes a house that is not a home.” They closely interrelate because all
of them, each in its own way, are doing basically the same thing – providing
a wealth of immediate or intrinsic values, as well as giving insight into what
matters most. The arts not only give us delight but also increase our
understanding of the world. Furthermore, the arts make our perceptions
and conceptions more flexible, discriminating, and responsive. The arts
cultivate our sense of dignity as human beings in these special ways.”

Contemporary conceptions of the humanities resemble earlier

conceptions in that they propose a complete educational program based on
the propagation of a self-sufficient system of human values. Hence, any
branch of knowledge intended to refine the mind by the development of all
the qualities of compassion, tenderness, benevolence became associated
with the humane and finally gained the widespread term Humanities (Tan,
1992 in Pagay 2013).
 Humanities does not aim to remake humanity but rather to reform
social order through an understanding of what is basically and inalienably
human. Patterson (1973) says, “The purpose of humanistic education is to
develop self-actualizing persons.” Humanistic education is a life-long
process, as explained by Vallett (1977), the purpose of which “is to develop
individuals who will be able to live joyous, humane, and meaningful lives.
Priorities of humanistic education should include the “development of
emotive abilities, the shaping of affective desires, the fullest expression of
aesthetic qualities, and the enhancement of powers of self- direction and
control.” Essential characteristics of the humanistic educator are emphatic
understanding, respect or acceptance, and genuineness or authenticity
(Patterson, 1973; Rogers, 1983).

At large, the humanities regards man as its central character along

with his aesthetic, limitless potentials which can be used as tools in
transforming society. The common conception of human nature thus
implicitly locates man on a scale of perfection, placing him somewhere above
most animals but below saints, prophets, or angels. This idea is embodied in
the theme “Great Chain of Being,” a hierarchal order ascending from the
most simple and inert to the most complex and active: mineral, vegetable,
animal, man, and finally divine beings superior to man. According to Martin,
“… where this being is (existence) precedes any determination of what man
is (his essence).”

In the tradition of Western thought up to the 20th century, the study

of man has been regarded as a part
of philosophy. Two famous sayings are reflective of these: “Man is the
measure of all things” (Protagoras) and “Know thyself” (a saying from the
Delphic oracle, echoed by Heracleitus and Socrates, among others). Both
reflect the specific philosophical orientation of humanism, which takes man
as its starting point and treats man and the study of man as the center, or
origin, on which all other disciplines ultimately depend.

*adopted with modifications from Pagay, J. B. (2013). Art Appreciation.

Bulacan: St. Andrew Publishing House, Inc.

Importance of Studying Humanities

Hereunder are the reasons given by Yagyagan et al. (2010, in Pagay

2013) on the importance of
studying humanities:

1. It provides us with the opportunity to examine what it takes and

what it means to be human. It reminds us how inadequate it is to
understand ourselves as autonomous beings and subjects separate
and independent from all others.

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 2. It helps us recognize fundamental values and principle such as
beauty, truth, love, justice, and faith.

3. It develops our capacity for critical thinking and appreciation for

cultural heritage as reflected in different Filipino works of art.

4. It fosters understanding across barriers of race, class, gender, or

ethnicity. The vision of an artist, a philosopher, or a historian is a
special one that helps us to better understand who we are and
what sort of life might be a good life to lead.

5. It helps us see the interconnectedness of all areas of knowledge –

how they affect and complement one another.

6. It introduces us to people we have never met, places we have never

visited, and ideas that never crossed our minds, thus, inspiring us
to outline our goals and values for a better world.

7. It helps us conceptualize a global perspective by studying cultures

and traditions by artworks throughout the world.

8. It supports and strengthens local arts community by learning to

appraise the value of creativity.

9. It helps us address the challenges we face together in our families,

our communities, and our nation.

10. It emphasizes the dignity and worthiness of every human being.

Introduction to the Arts

Arts and Artists

The word art comes from the Aryan root word AR, meaning to join or
put together. From AR, we can derive two Greek verbs, Artizein, which
means to prepare, and Arkiskeins, which means to put together. The
Latin terms ARS means everything that is artificially made or composed by
man (Escalona, 1992) (skillfully).

Art constitutes one of the oldest and most important means of

expression developed by human beings (Dudley, Faricy, and Rice, 1978). A
work of art may be defined as an object or event created or selected for its
capacity to express and stimulate experience within a discipline (Cleaver,
1977, in Pagay 2013). Art is viewed as a reflection of creative and ingenuity
and inventiveness within a culture. It is seen not only in terms of its styles
and craftsmanship, but also in its functional interaction with all the
elements that constitute human life and culture (Ariola, 2008).

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 The human need for art and its importance to life among all peoples at
all times have been attested to by historians, sociologists, and
anthropologists. Art is produced by all people and speaks to us at our most
human levels of feeling and responding. Art is dynamic because it develops
along with other human activities contemporary with them. A new invention,
medium, world view, or way of seeing things is reflected in new art forms.
Art is a way of making visible these changes in our thinking and feeling.
New insights and techniques influence the development of art (Dudley,
Faricy, and Rice, 1978, in Pagay, 2013).

Meanwhile, an artist is a person who exhibits exceptional skills in

design, drawing, painting, etc. or one who works in one of the performing
arts, like an actor or musician. Unlike other people, he is more sensitive and
more creative. He possesses an unusual degree for interpreting ideas in
artistic form through the use of words, pigments, stone, notes, or any of the
other materials used by artists (Sanchez, Abad, and Jao, 2002).

We can classify an artist into three: visual artist, creative artist, and
performing artist. Visual artists include painters, sculptors, and architects.
The visual arts are also composed of other artists such as the
photographers, filmmakers, as well as graphic artists. Creative artists, on
one hand, include writers, playwrights, and composers, among others.
Performing artists comprise the dancers, singers, stage performers,
musicians, and choreographers. Because of varied expertise in the use of
different media or materials, and specific line of work, the artists are called
by so many names (Pagay, 2013).

As a whole, art has always evidenced a concern for creativity – that is,
the act of bringing forth new forces and forms. Creativity underlies our
existence (Pagay, 2013). Man takes chaos, formlessness, vagueness, and the
unknown and crystallizes them into form, design, inventions, and ideas.
Man learns to project his creative impulse through the symbols of his art – a
picture, a poem, or a piece of music according to his present inspiration and
his training (Sanchez, Abad, and Jao, 2002). The arts not only give us
delight but increase our understanding of the world. Furthermore, the arts
make our perceptions and conceptions more flexible, discriminating, and
responsive. The arts cultivate our sense of dignity as human beings in these
special ways (Martin and Jacobus, 1978, in Pagay 2013).

Arts and Appreciation

Humans are creative species. We perceive the world as we have come to see
to it. We respond to the demands of our daily life creatively. We live in
buildings and listen to music constantly. We hang pictures on our walls and
react like personal friends to characters in television, film, and live dramas.
We escape to parks, engross ourselves in novels, wonder about a statue in

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front of a public building, and dance through the night. All of these
situations involve forms called “arts” in which we engage daily.

We have learned a great deal about our world and how it functions
since the human species began, and we have changed our patterns of
existence. However, the fundamental characteristics that make us human;
that is, our ability to intuition and to symbolize have not changed. Art, the
major remaining evidence we have of our earliest times, reflects these
unchanged human characteristics in escapable terms and helps us to
understand the beliefs of cultures, including our own, and to express the
universal qualities of humans.

Visual art, architecture, sculpture, music, drama and theater, dance,

and film belong in a broad category of pursuit called the “humanities.” The
terms arts and humanities fit together as piece to a whole. The humanities
constitutes a larger whole into which the arts fit as one piece. When we use
the term arts, we restrict our focus. The arts disciplines – visual art
(drawing, painting, photography), performing art (music, theater, dance,
film), and architecture (including landscape architecture) – typically arrange
sound, color, form, movement, and/or other elements in a manner that
affects our sense of beauty in a graphic or plastic (capable of being shaped)
medium. The humanities include the arts but also include disciplines such
as philosophy, literature, and sometimes, history, which comprise branches
of knowledge that share a concern with humans and their cultures. This
explains why the arts are called the humanities. They bring out the good
and noble in us. Through the arts, we come to know the changing image of
man as he journeys across time, searches for the reality, and strive to
achieve the ideals that create meaning for life (Ariola, 2008).

Art appreciation, as described by Menoy (2009), is [an area of] art

study in which the student learns to admire the artists, value highly
different works of art, and appreciate the role of art in society. Art
appreciation is also understood as the ability to interpret or understand
man-made arts and enjoy them either through actual and work-experience
with art tools and materials or possession of these works of arts for one’s
admiration and satisfaction. Art appreciation therefore deals with learning or
understanding and creating arts and enjoying them (Ariola, 2008).

Functions of Arts

Art has many functions. Ariola (2008) describes the main functions
of arts:

1. Aesthetic function – Through art, man becomes conscious of the

beauty of nature. He benefits from his own work and from those
done by his fellowmen. He learns to use, love, and preserve them
for his own enjoyment and appreciation.

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 2. Utilitarian function – With the creation of the various forms of
art, man now lives in comfort and happiness. Through art, man is
provided with shelter, clothing, food, light, medicine, beautiful
surroundings, personal ornamentals, entertainment, language,
transportation, and other necessities and conveniences of life. Art
not only enriches man’s life but also improves nature through
landscape gardening, creation of super-highways, and through
propagation and conservation of natural resources.

3. Cultural function – Through the printed matter, art transmits

and preserves skills and knowledge from one generation to
another. It makes man more civilized and his life more enduring
and satisfying.

4. Social function – Through civic and graphic arts, man learns to

love and help each other. International understanding and
cooperation are fostered and nations become more unified,
friendly, cooperative, helpful, and sympathetic.

Art also functions as an artifact: A product of a particular time and place,

an artwork represents the ideas and technology of that specific time and
place. Artworks often provide not only striking examples but occasionally
the only tangible records of some peoples. Artifacts, like paintings,
sculptures, poems, plays, and buildings, enhance our insights into many
cultures, including our own.

The arts not only give us delight but increase our understanding of the
world. Furthermore, the arts make our perceptions and conceptions more
flexible, discriminating, and responsive. The arts cultivate our sense of
dignity as human beings in these special ways (Martin and Jacobus, 1978:
437).

Functional and Non-Functional Arts

Escalona (1992) classified arts into functional and non-functional:

1. Functional arts – These are the arts which have practical usage.
Example of this classification is a chair. It is not only the form of the
chair that is presented. Its functional purpose is also highly
appreciated. For example, the peacock chair designed by Frank Lloyd
Wright, is “the greatest American architect of all time,” recognized by
the American Institute of Architects in 1991

2. Non-Functional arts – These are the arts which have no other

purpose except that of giving pleasure or life enhancement. Example

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 of this kind of classification is a painting. Grant Wood’s painting (see
Figure 2) may amuse us, and/or provide a detailed commentary about
rural mid-western America, and/or move us deeply.

Representational and Non-Representational Arts

Arts can further be classified as representational and non-

representational. Ariola (2008) makes these distinctions:

1. Representational Art – These are the artworks that depict something

easily recognized by most people. This simply means that
representational artwork aims to represent or show actual objects or
subjects from reality. Hence, artworks under this classification are
also called objective arts. This also makes representational art widely
accepted among the masses. Painting, sculpture, graphic arts,
literature, and theater arts are generally classified as representational,
although some paintings and sculptures are without subjects. Music
and dance may or may have subjects. Figure 3. Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Two Sisters (on the Terrace), 1881, oil on canvas 100.4 x 80.9 cm
2 .Non-Representational Art – These are the artworks that have no
resemblance to any real subject that’s why these are also called non-
objective arts. They do not represent anything and they are what they
are. This may take the form of emphasizing lines, shapes, or colors that
transform the subject. They rather appeal directly to the senses
primarily because of the satisfying organization of their sensuous and
expressive elements.

Elements of Design

1. Line – The basic building block of a visual design is line. To most of us, a
line is thin mark. However, in two-dimensional art, lines can be expressive
in themselves. They make shapes. They also give direction and movement in
a painting; that is, they are always active. Artists use line to direct our eyes
around an image and to suggest movement. Our eyes tend to follow line to
see where they are going.

Lines are straight or curved. Straight lines are horizontal, vertical or

diagonal. The horizontal line is primarily the line of rest and quietness,
relaxation, contemplation; a long horizontal line gives a sense of infinity that
is not easily obtained in any other way. Horizontal lines are found in
landscapes; the quieter landscape, the more prominent the horizontals.

The vertical is the line of a tree or of a man standing, the line of

chimneys and towers. The vertical is pointed, balanced, forceful, and
dynamic. The vertical is a line of potential action, though it is not acting.
Meanwhile, the diagonal is the line of action. A man running makes a

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diagonal line with his body and leg, a tree in a hard wind, a beating rain,
almost everything in action assumes a diagonal line. The degree of action is
shown in the angle of the diagonal.

Piet Mondrian was a Dutch artist who is most famous for his
contribution to abstract art through works in which he used only the
straight line (see Figure 5), the three primary colors, and the neutrals of
black, white and gray. He coined the term neoplasticism for this style.

Curved lines show action and life and energy; they are never
harsh or stern. Most of the sights to which we attach the adjective
pleasing have curved lines: rounded hills, trees bent with fruit, curved
arms and cheeks. Curves may be single or double, slow or quick. A
single curve is but a single arc; a double curve turns back on itself in an
S shape. The double slow curve is the famous “line of grace” or “line of
beauty.” A quick curve is an arc of a small circle, the type of curve found
on a fat baby. A slow curve is an arc of a large circle, the type of a long,
thin face.

2. Form – Form relates closely to line in both definition and effect. Form
comprises the shape of an object within the composition, and shape is often
used as a synonym for form. Literally, form defines space described by line.
A building is a form. So is a tree. We perceive them as buildings or trees,
and we also perceive their individual details because of the line that
composes them; form cannot be separated from line in two dimensional
design. Like shapes, form can be geometric or organic.

Geometric forms are forms that are mathematical, precise, and can be
named, as in the basic geometric forms: sphere, cube, pyramid, cone, and
cylinder. A circle becomes a sphere in three dimensions, a square becomes a
cube, and a triangle becomes a pyramid or cone.

Organic forms are those that are free flowing, curvy, sinewy, and are
not symmetrical or easily measurable or named. They most often occur in
nature, as in the shapes of flowers, branches, leaves, puddles, clouds,
animals, the human figure, among others.

3. Color – Color constitutes an additional and very important aspect

of the composition of an artwork. In discussing color, let’s consider
three terms: hue, value, and intensity.

Hue – Hue is a specific color. The traditional color spectrum consists

of seven basic hues (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet). The
primary hues are red, blue, and yellow. Secondary hues (orange, green, and
violet) are direct derivatives of the primaries.

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 Value – Value, sometimes called key, is the relationship of blacks to
whites and grays. Thus, value is understood simply as the lightness or
darkness of a color. The range of possibilities from black to white forms the
value scale, which has black at one end, white at the other, and medium
gray in the middle.

Intensity – Intensity, sometimes called chroma or saturation,

comprises the degree of purity of a hue. Every hue has its own value; that is,
in its pure state, each value falls somewhere on the value scale

3. Mass (Space) – Only three-dimensional objects have masses,

which take up space and have density. However, two-dimensional objects
give the illusion of mass, relative only to the other objects in the picture.

4. Texture– The texture of a picture is its apparent roughness or

smoothness. Texture ranges from the smoothness of a glossy photo to the
three-dimensionality of impasto, a painting technique with pigment applied
thickly with a palette knife to raise areas from the canvas.

Principles of Design

1. Repetition – The essence of any design is repetition: how the

basic elements in the picture repeat or
alternate. In discussing repetition, let’s consider three terms: rhythm,
harmony, and variation.

a. Rhythm – This refers to the ordered recurrence of

elements in a composition. Recurrence may be regular or
irregular. If the work uses equally related elements, we describe
its rhythm as regular. If not, the rhythm is irregular. Rhythm is
also seen in the human figure in movement. It can be a dance or
the way a person walks, or a sport exercise, or many other
activities that the human body can do. In the representation of
these scenes, rhythm is seen. A work of the painter Ernst Ludwig
Kirchner gives us another example of rhythm
b. Harmony – This refers to the logic of the
repetition. Harmonious relationships use components that
appear to join naturally and comfortably. If the artist, however,
uses forms, colors, or other elements that appear illogical or out
of sync, then its components do not go together natural
2. Variation – This refers to the relationship of repeated items to
each other, like theme and variation in music. The artist takes a basic
element in the composition and uses it again with slight or major
changes.

3. Balance – The concept of balance employs certain innate

judgments. Looking at a composition, we almost intuitively understand if

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 it does or does not appear balanced. Most individuals have this sense.
Determining how artists achieve balance in their pictures forms an
important aspect of our own response to pictures. For example,
Pinturrichio’s Music (Figure 11) is an illustration of a formal arrangement
in which the figures on either side of the centerline are so nearly alike
that they attract the same amount of attention. The lights and darks are
in practically the same relative positions, and the figures have been
balanced so skilfully that, even though both sides are not identical, one
has the impression of symmetry.

4. Symmetry – The most mechanical method of achieving

balance employs symmetry, or specifically bilateral symmetry, the
balancing of like forms, mass, and colors on opposite sides of the
vertical axis of a picture. Symmetry has measurable precision.
Pictures employing absolute symmetry tend to be stable, dull, and
without much sense of motion.

Asymmetrical balance (asymmetry), on one hand, is sometimes referred to

as psychological balance.

There is more intimacy in informal arrangements than in formal, and

a sort of chatty, conversational quality is likely to characterize a room
where informal balance prevails. There are freedom and variation in
the uneven groupings, and while the other arrangement is quaint, it is
more reserved.

4. Unity – There is unity if all the elements in a composition work

together toward meaning. The artist strives for a sense of self- contained
completeness in their artworks. Thus, an important characteristic in a work
of art constitutes the means by which unity is achieved.

5. Focal Area – When we look at a picture for the first time, our
eye moves around it, pausing briefly at those areas that seem of greatest
visual appeal. These are focal areas. A painting may have a single focal area,
which draws our eyes immediately and from which it will stray only with
conscious effort. For example, the artist draws attention to a particular
point in the picture by making all lines lead to that point. He or she may
place the focal object or area in the center of a ring of objects, or may give
the object a color that demands attention more than the other colors in the
picture.
Drawing

Drawing is considered as the foundation of two-dimensional art. It

uses a variety of materials
traditionally divided into two groups: dry media and wet media.

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Dry Media

The following are the examples of dry media:

Chalk – Chalk, a fairly flexible medium, creates a wide variety of tonal areas
with extremely subtle transitions between areas.
2.Charcoal – Charcoal is a burnt wood product (preferably hardwood). Like
chalk, it requires a paper with a relatively rough surface for the medium to
adhere. Similarly, like chalk, it can achieve a variety of tonalities
3.Graphite – Graphite, a form of carbon, like coal, and most familiar as
pencil lead, can be manufactured in various degrees of hardness. The
harder the lead, the lighter and more delicate its mark.
4.Pastel – Pastel, essentially a chalk medium in which colored pigment and
a non-greasy binder have been combined, typically comes in sticks about
the diameter of a finger and with a variety of hardness: soft, medium, and
hard. An illustrator by trade, Childe Hassam was one of the most notable
American impressionists working in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He is
also one of the most notable American pastelists and exhibited in the fourth
final show of the Society of Painters in Pastel in New York in 1890. The
urban landscape, summer gardens, and abstracted night skies all were
captured by his hand, working in pastel.

Wet Media

Examples of wet media are the following:

1. Pen and Ink – Pen and ink comprises a fairly flexible medium
compared to graphite, for example. Although linear, pen and ink gives the
artist the possibility of variation in line and texture. Shading, for example,
results from diluting the ink, and the overall quality of the drawing achieves
fluidity and expressiveness.
2. Wash and Brush – Ink, diluted with water and applied with a
brush, creates a wash similar in characteristics to watercolor. Difficult to
control, wash and brush yields effects nearly impossible to achieve in any
other medium. Because it must be worked quickly and freely, it has a
spontaneous and appealing quality.

Painting

Definition of Painting

From the old French peindre and its past participle peint, meaning “to
paint” and from Latin pingere, meaning "to paint” or “to decorate with color,”
painting is the art that has most to do with revealing the visual appearance
of objects and events.

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Painting Media

Like drawing media, each of the painting media has its own particular
characteristics, and to a great extent, this dictates what the artist can or
cannot achieve as an end result.

1. Oils - Oils offer a wide range of color possibilities; because they

dry slowly, they can be reworked; they present many options for textual
manipulations; and they are durable. Because of this, oils are the most
popular of the painting media since their development near the beginning of
the fifteenth century.
2. Watercolor – Watercolor is a broad category that includes any
color medium that uses water as a thinner. Because watercolors are
transparent, artists must be very careful to control them. If one area of color
overlaps another, the overlap will show as a third area combining the
previous hues.
3. Gouache – A watercolor medium, gouache (gwash) adds gums to
ground opaque colors mixed with water. Transparent watercolors can be
made into gouache by adding Chinese white, a special white, opaque,
watersoluble paint that, in contrast to watercolor, creates an opaque paint.
Gouache (see Figure 21) dries very quickly, both on the painting and on the
palette.

4. Tempera – Tempera is an opaque watercolor medium. Employed

by the ancient Egyptians, it still finds use today. Tempera comprises ground
pigments and their color binders such as gum or glue, but is best known as
egg tempera. A fast-drying medium, it virtually eliminates brush strokes and
gives extremely sharp and precise detail. Colors in tempera paintings appear
almost gem-like in their clarity and brilliance.

5. Acrylics – Acrylics, in contrast with tempera, constitute modern

synthetic products. Most acrylics are water soluble (they dissolve in water),
and use an acrylic polymer as a binding agent. Acrylics offer artists a wide
range of possibilities in both color and technique. Either opaque or
transparent, depending on dilution, acrylics dry fast, thin, and resistant to
cracking under temperature and humidity extremes. Perhaps less
permanent than some other media, acrylics adhere to a wider variety of
surfaces and will not darken or yellow with age, as will oil.

6. Fresco – Fresco, a wall painting technique, uses pigments

suspended in water and applied to fresh wet plaster. Michelangelo’s Sistene
Chapel frescoes are the best-known examples of this technique. Because the
end result becomes part of the plaster wall rather being painted on it, fresco

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provides a long-lasting work. However, once the artist applies the pigments,
no changes can be made without replastering the entire section of the wall.

There are three main types of fresco technique: Buon or true fresco,
secco, and mezzo-fresco. Buon fresco, the most common fresco method,
involves the use of pigments mixed with water (without a binding agent) on a
thin layer of wet, fresh, lime mortar or plaster (intonaco). The pigment is
absorbed into the wall. By contrast, secco painting is done on dry plaster
and therefore requires a binding medium, (e.g., egg tempera, glue or oil) to
attach the pigment to the wall, as in the famous mural painting known as
The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. Mezzo-fresco involves painting onto
almost but not quite dry intonaco so that the pigment only penetrates
slightly into the plaster. By 1600 this had largely replaced buon fresco on
murals and ceilings.

7. Mixed Media – Artists can freely use a single medium such as

those just noted, or they may choose to combine various media in order to
create works that allow the artist to transcend the limits of single medium.

The Painter’s Tools

A painter’s primary tools are composed of an easel to hold the

painting, on which he is working, a palette on which to hold and mix paint,
a flexible spatula or palette knife, and an assortment of brushes (Lamucho,
Pagay, Cabalu, Pascual, and Noroña, 2003).

The painter’s palette contains the full selection of colors he uses for a
given painting; the word has been used to refer not to the object itself but to
the range of hues the artist employs. Hence, a painter working with a very
few hues might be said to use a very limited palette. A palette may be
described as warm with a predominance of reddish hues; cold with a
predominance of bluish hues; high in key with light, bright colors; or low in
key with predominantly dark colors. A set of palette is one in which not only
the basic hues are se out on a palette in advance but also the necessary
range of values of each, thus, minimizing further mixing during the painting
of the picture (Lamucho, Pagay, Cabalu, Pascual, and Noroña, 2003)

Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro left us a witty demonstration of

what could be accomplished using what he called a spectral palette (Figure
24). Palette refers to the wooden board on which artists traditionally set out
their pigments, but it also refers to the range of pigments they select, either
for particular painting or characteristically. Pissarro here gives us both
meanings, creating a painting on his wooden palette and leaving the colors
he set out to make it around the edge. From the upper right, they are white,
yellow, red, violet, blue, and green. Using only these colors and their
mixtures, Pissarro painted a delightful landscape of a farmer and his wife
with their hay wagon.

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 Artists themselves work either with a restricted palette or an open
palette. Working with a restricted palette, artists limit themselves to a few
pigments and their mixtures, tints, and shades. Of course, there is no
restriction in color with an open palette.

The spatula or a palette knife is used for mixing colors and, on

occasion, for applying colors to and scraping colors from painting surface.
Meanwhile, brushes vary in shape, size and relative stiffness in accordance
with the medium used, the size of the painting, and the personal preference
of the artist. Several brushes of different size and shape are normally used
in the creation of a single painting. But of course, paint can be applied in
other ways than with brushes: by sponges, rags, fingers, or spraying
equipment (Lamucho, Pagay, Cabalu, Pascual, and Noroña, 2003).

*adopted from Pagay, J. B. (2013). Art Appreciation. Bulacan: St. Andrew

Publishing House, Inc.

Methods of Presenting Art Subjects

Sanchez, Abad, and Jao (2002) discuss the different methods of

presenting art subjects:

1. Realism – In this method, the artist tries to present the subject as it is, or
objectively. The realist strives for accuracy and honesty in portraying the
subject. He tries to make a faithful rendition of the work based on what he
sees which can be in the form of objects, sceneries, activities, and figures.

The most common examples are the portraits of famous people and
Fernando Amorsolo’spaintings. He is considered the Father of Philippine
Painting. He has mastery in the use of light. Amorsolo’s works depicted
Philippine scenes and way of life especially in the countryside by means of
backlighting technique Chiaroscuro1, his artistic trademark and his greatest
contribution to Philippine painting (see Figures 25 and
26 for Fernando Amorsolo’s paintings, Figures 27 and 28 for Juan Luna’s
paintings, and Figures 29 and 30 for Thomas Eakins’2 artworks). In short,
as explained by Sanchez, Abad, and Jao (2002), “… an art or a work is
realistic when the presentation or organization of details in the work seem
so natural.”

2. Abstraction – This is a method wherein the artist moves away from

showing things as they really are. The artist does not show the subject as an
objective reality, but only his idea, or his feeling about it. Abstract means “to
separate” from reality. The picture is not like life. It is not “realistic.”

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 Abstract art varies in technique or style such as distortion, elongation,
mangling, cubism, and abstract expressionism.

a. Distortion – In this technique, the subject is literally distorted.

The regular shape is misshapen or twisted out, deformed or disfigured,
altered or disfigured, bent or crooked to create an emotional effect. It is
usually employed in caricartures so that the message and target of ridicule
would appear grotesque and hateful.

b. Elongation – This style necessitates the artist to lengthen,

protract, stretch, or extend the subject. Common examples are elongated
bodies of angels and other creatures.

c. Mangling – This style is considered against the conventional.

There are artists who show subjects or
objects which are cut, lacerated, mutilated, or hacked with repeated blows.
The subjects, for example, are slashed or ripped of fingers, feet, among
others.

d. Cubism– In this technique, the subject is presented through the

use of a cone, cylinder, or sphere at the
expense of other pictorial elements. The cubist strives to show forms in their
basic geometrical shapes.

Cubism is a highly influential visual arts style of the 20th century (Figure
31) that was created principally by the painters Pablo Picasso and Georges
Braque in Paris between 1907 and 1914. The cubist style depicted radically
fragmented objects, whose several sides were seen simultaneously.

In the Philippines, Ang Kiukok is one of the most vital and dynamic
figures who emerged during the 60s and continues to make an impact up to
the present. He is recognized as the National Artist in Visual Arts in 2001.
As one of those who came at the heels of the pioneering modernists during
that decade, Ang Kiukok blazed a formal and iconographic path of his own
through expressionistic works of high visual impact and compelling
meaning. He crystallized in vivid; cubistic figures the terror and angst of the
times. Shaped in the furnace of the political turmoil of those times, Ang
Kiukok pursued an expression imbued with nationalist fervor and
sociological agenda.

e. Abstract Expressionism – This style completely moves away from the

subject matter, from studied precision, and from any kind of preconceived
design. The subject of art is entirely hidden. This is achieved by uneven
brush strokes, heavy textures, heavy impasto,3 strong color, high energy,

15
 the use of large canvases, and a deliberate lack of refinement in the
application of the paint.

3. Symbolism – This style refers to the use of a particular representation of

something invisible. This style was in many ways a reaction against the
moralism, rationalism, and materialism of the 1880s. This fin-desiècle
period was a period of malaise - a sickness of dissatisfaction. Artists felt a
need to go beyond naturalism in art, and like other forms of art and
entertainment at the time, such as ballet and the cabaret, symbolism served
as a means of escape. For example, the sculpture created by Guillermo
Tolentino at the University of the Philippines in Diliman called “Oblation” is
symbolic of academic freedom. In the same manner, Juan Luna’s
Spoliarium, which depicted a soldier dragging a slave, symbolized the
oppression suffered by the Filipinos from the hands of the Spaniards. The
soldier was symbolized the Spaniards, and the slave was symbolized the
Filipinos.

***Impasto means that paint is applied very thickly on the surface with a
brush or palette knife.
Juan Luna y Novicio was a Filipino painter, sculptor, and a political
activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He
was one of the first recognized Philippine artists.

4. Fauvism – This style of painting flourished in France from 1898

to 1908. It used pure, brilliant color applied straightly from the paint tubes
in an aggressive, direct manner to create a sense of explosion in the
canvass. The paintings are blazed with pure, highly contrasting colors. The
fauves invested a strong expressive reaction to the subjects they painted.
They seem to have been painted with great enthusiam and pasion. The
creators of this painting were dubbed as les fauves (a French word for wild
beasts). The wildness manifested itself mainly in the strong colors and
dynamic brushwork to connote joy and happiness, as well as comfort and
pleasure.

5. Dadaism – This method of painting is considered shocking

realism. The subjects taken from the real life are shocking and provoking,
which center on the exposition of the evils in the society and upended
bourgeois’ norms of traditional art production of aesthetically pleasing
objects, which in turn aimed to generate difficult questions about society,
the role of the artist, and the purpose of art. Dadaism started as a protest
art movement composed of both painters and writers whose desire was to
revolutionize the outworn art traditions. The bestknown dadaist was Marcel
Duchamp who expressed his strong opposition to outdated and obsolete art
traditions. The word dada was derived from the French word meaning
“hobby horse.”

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 Dada's aesthetic, marked by its mockery of materialistic and
nationalistic attitudes, proved a powerful influence on artists in many cities,
including Berlin, Hanover, Paris, New York, and Cologne, all of which
generated their own groups. Dada artists are known for their use of
readymade objects - everyday objects that could be bought and presented as
art with little manipulation by the artist. The use of the readymade forced
questions about artistic creativity and the very definition of art and its
purpose in society.

A Spanish painter working during the decade around the turn of the
19th century, Goya lived through tumultuous times and witnessed terrible
acts of cruelty, stupidity, warfare, and slaughter. As an official painter to the
Spanish court he painted light-hearted scenes, tranquil landscapes, and
dignified portraits, as asked. In works he created for his own reasons, he
expressed his increasingly pessimistic view of human nature. Chronos
Devouring One of His Children (Figure 35) is one of a series of nightmarish
images that Goya painted on the walls of his own house. By their compelling
visual power and urgent message, we recognize them as extraordinary art.

Another example is the work of George Grosz who gradually evolved

from the nihilistic5 protest of Dada to a more focused expression of his
disgust at the cruelty and decadence of the bourgeoisie. He was a skilled
painter and illustrator who managed to convey his contempt in traditional
media. Grosz's vitriolic drawings and paintings exposed the hypocrisy of the
politicians, the press, the army, the ruling classes and their corrupt clergy
(see Figure 36). His work simply held up a mirror to their behavior in order
to reflect their vices. Grosz wrote, "Man has created an insidious system - a
top and a bottom. A very few earn millions, while thousands upon
thousands are on the verge of starvation. But what has this to do with art?
Precisely this, that many painters and writers, in a word, all the so-called
'intellectuals' still tolerate this state of affairs without taking a stand against
it . . . To help shake this belief and to show the oppressed the true faces of
their masters is the purpose of my work."
6. Futurism – In this method, the artist portrays the subject that
literally relates to the future, and not to the present. Italian writer Filippo
Tommaso Marinetti founded Futurism when he published his Futurist
Manifesto in Parisian newspaper Le Figaro on 20th February 1909.
Marinetti passionately laid out his ideas, which would form the central
concepts of the movement. Futurism was a key artistic and social
development in 20th century art history, originating and most active within
Italy, but also a movement whose ideas spread to Russia, England, and
beyond.

In the Futurist Manifesto, Marinetti declared his hatred of old artistic

and political traditions, and a love of new technologies, for travel and
warfare, for nationalism and violence. The Futurists would reject political
correctness and embrace any new cultural innovation, “however daring,
however violent,” which proudly displayed “the smear of madness.” In this
17
modern world, futuristic portrayals are seen on futuristic machines or
futuristic human beings like androids. In the field of filmmaking, some
futuristic films include Star Wars, Star Trek, and Back to the Future.

7. Surrealism – This method of painting portrays subjects that are

beyond reality. The artist tries to capture the subject not from the real
world, but from the world of dreams, imaginations, and fantasies.
Surrealists try to depict affluence of human mind with the emphasis on its
subconscious images. Sigmund Freud, the Father of Psychoanalysis,
influenced this method.

Postwar explorations in surrealism were strongly influenced by structuralist

language theories and the concept of the gap between language and
meaning. The Treachery of Images (Figure 38) depicts a simple imagery of
the pipe and contrasting statement “This is not a pipe,” so it displays thesis
of the difference between signifier and signified object to the spectator.

Meanwhile, René Magritte’s The Son of Man (Figure 39) is possibly the
most iconic surrealist painting of all time, as it offers numerous
reinterpretations, appearances, and references within the field of popular
culture – from Michael Jackson‘s music video “Scream” to Alejandro
Jodorowsky‘s film Holy Mountain. The painting is a surreal self-portrait of
the author, but the very phrase “The Son of Man” also refers to Jesus and
thus creates the suspense and tension. Men with bowler hat are frequent
motif on Magritte’s paintings, but here the man’s face is hovered by the
strange green apple, stating the unstable relation between the visible and
hidden, and also conscience and subconscience in human personality.

8. Expressionism – In this method of painting, the artist uses free

distortion of form and color through which he gives visual form to inner
sensations or emotions. The emotional expressions in these paintings could
be described as involving pathos, morbidity, violence, or chaos and tragedy.
It also portrays defeat. These strong emotions seem to be pathways through
which their counterparts, joy and happiness will come to pass. In the
Philippines, Juan Luna, a Filipino hero who translated into canvass his
deplorable thoughts and feelings about war and destruction in Spolarium, is
considered as expressionist. Likewise, Fernando Amorsolo, the Philippines'
first National Artist in Painting (1972), the so-called "Grand Old Man of
Philippine Art,” is also an expressionist. Hissample works include Rice
Maiden, Planting Rice, Fruit Pickers Harvesting under the Mango Tree,
among others.

9. Impressionism – In this method of painting, the effect of

experience upon the consciousness of the artist and the audience is
portrayed. The artist is characterized as one concerned more with the
technique of suggesting light and color to the picture than with the subject

18
matter. In other words, the impressionist attempts to produce, with the
vividness and immediacy of nature and particularly life itself, the impression
made by the subject on the art.

10. Pointillism/Divisionism

Georges Seurat popularized a method of painting which came to be

called pointillism. This is a method of painting in which small, closely
juxtaposed dots or strokes of pure color are deposited on the canvas. Seen
from a distance at which they are mixed by the eye, these points produce
the illusion of solid field of color and give an effect of heightened luminosity
(Lamucho, Pagay, Cabalu, Pascual, and Noroña, 2003).

One Sunday afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Seurat laid down
his paints by placing many thousands of tiny dots or points of pure color
next to each other. From a distance of a few inches the dots are quite
distinct. But as the viewer moves back, they merge to form a rich texture of
subtly varied tones. The painting illustrated here is Seurat’s masterpiece
(Figure 42). Whereas the term divisionism refers to this separation of color
and its optical effects, the term pointillism refers specifically to the
technique of applying dots.

Definition of Photography

Photography is the art and science of light. Photography is derived

from the Greek words photos which means "light" and graphein which
means "to draw" (Pagay, 2013). The development of photography has been
seen as freeing painting and sculptures from practical tasks such as
recording appearances and events. Early subject matters of photography
include portraits and landscapes. Today, daily life, the life we live now,
became photography’s newest and perhaps most profound subjects.

Brief Development Photography as Art

The existing art that photography resembled most was painting. In

practicing photography as an art, many early photographers naturally
turned to painting as a model. A wonderful example is Henry Peach
Robinson’s Fading Away (Figure 43). The English public of the day reveled in
paintings that told a story, preferably sentimental one. Robinson created his
photograph with this audience in mind. We see a young woman on her
deathbed. For all that she is about to expire, she looks remarkably beautiful
and remarkably healthy. Her grieving relatives hover at the bedside (one
turns toward the window in despair), as our heroine prepares to expel her
last shuddering breath. But this scene is not real. It was posed; in fact, it

19
was made as a composite image from five separate negatives. The people are
actors, and they were carefully arranged in this stagy episode.

One aspect of photography that some felt stood in the way of making
art was its detailed objectivity, which seemed more suited to science. In a
movement called pictorialism, photographers used a variety of techniques to
undercut the objectivity of the camera, producing gauzy, atmospheric
images that seemed more painterly, and thus more like art. An important
American pictorialist was the photographer Alfred Stieglitz, however, grew
dissatisfied with pictorialism. He came to the conclusion that for
photography to be an art, it must be true to its own nature; it should not try
to painting.

The photograph that has become most closely associated with

Stieglitz’ revolutionary idea is The Steerage (Figure 44). The story of how The
Steerage was made illustrates our point about photographers moving
through the world with an invisible frame behind their eyes. In 1907,
Stieglitz was aboard ship on his way to Europe, traveling first class. One day
as he was walking the deck, he happened to look down into the lowest-class
section, called steerage. Before him he saw a perfectly composed photograph
- the smokestack is leaning to the left at one end, the iron stairway is
leaning to the right at the other; the chained drawbridge is cutting across,
even such details as the round straw hat on the man looking down and the
grouping of women and children below. Stieglitz knew he had only one
unexposed plate left (the equivalent of one exposure at the end of a roll of
film). He raced to his cabin to get his camera. When he returned, the scene
was exactly the same; no one had moved. That one plate became “The
Steerage.”

The type of photography that Stieglitz championed came to be known

as “pure” or “straight” photography. Practitioners of “pure” photography
consider it a point of honor not to crop or manipulate their photographs in
any way. The composition is entirely visualized in advance, framed with the
viewfinder, then photographed and printed. We might ask what difference
there is between this kind of photography and photojournalism. The answer
must lie in the intentions of the artists, and not the photograph itself.

At the same time that early-20th-century painters were experimenting

with abstraction by simplifying forms and reducing them to their most
characteristics aspects, photographers discovered that a camera, too, could
produce abstract images. In Abstraction (Figure 45), Paul Strand used a
close-up view to obscure the literal subject of his photograph, creating
instead an abstract composition of repeating curves. Used in this way,
photography turned out to be not only a new way of recording reality but
also a new way of seeing it.

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 With the development of photomechanical reproduction, which
brought photographs into newspapers, periodicals, posters, and advertising,
everyday life was suddenly flooded with photographic images. Artists also
used these “found” images as a new kind of raw material for art.

After World War I, another artistic movement that arose was

surrealism. Surrealists artists were fascinated by the unconscious, and they
looked for the intrusion of strange, dreamlike moments into ordinary,
everyday life. Photography turned out to be an excellent Surrealist medium,
for nothing could be of matterof-fact than a photograph, and yet by taking a
moment from the flow of time and freezing it for our inspection, it often
revealed something strange. The Surrealist artist, Man Ray, experimented
with several unusual photographic techniques in the 1920s and 1930s. One
of them was solarization, a process by which an exposed negative is briefly
reexposed to light during development (Figure 46). This causes chemical
changes in the photographic emulsion – the light-sensitive coating on film.
Actually, although Man Ray’s name is usually associated with solarization, it
may have been his companion at the time, photographer Lee Miller, who
discovered the effect, albeit accidentally.
Today, over 150 years later, photography is fully integrated into the
art world of museums and galleries, and many artists who are not primarily
photographers work with photographic images. Also, the computer has been
welcomed by many artists who work with photography as a natural
extension of the medium. Recently developed digital cameras use no film at
all, but instead store photographs as data on disk. For artists, the new
technology allows them to gather photographic images, feed into a computer,
work with them, and print the end product as photograph. For example,
Mori’s Empty Dream (Figure 47) is a pieced together photograph, but this
time on a computer. The scene is completely and deliriously artificial,
including Mori’s own multiple appearances as a fetching mermaid and a sky
that seems to be printed on a giant screen. We aren’t expected to believe it
for a moment. We are only expected to enjoy how photography can make the
impossible seem real in the same way that dreams seem real.

Basic Parts of a Camera

Taking pictures using a digital camera is popular. However, you need

to know its features so that you can maximize its use. As professional
photographers often say, every camera comes with a license to experiment,
test, tweak, and screw up to your heart's content. The most basic parts of a
digital camera (Figures 48 and 49) include the following:

1. Body – The body of a camera is made up of high grade plastic or

metal. It holds all the other parts together and provides protection to the
delicate internal parts of a camera.

21
 2. Lens assembly – This consists of several layers of lenses of
varying properties which allows for zoom, the ability of a camera to
magnify or demagnify an image to a certain range. The lenses also permit
focusing and correcting distortion. Focusing is a process at which the
camera lenses are moved until the subject becomes clear and very sharp.
The lenses are mechanically interconnected and the camera’s body
controls adjustment electronically.

3. Shutter release button – This is the “trigger” of the camera

which initiates the image capturing process.

4. Mode dial – This part contains several symbols which allow you
to select a shooting mode, automatic or manual, or a choice between one
of the predefined settings.

5. Viewfinder – This is the small viewing window that shows the

image that the camera’s imaging sensor sees. This can either be an
optical view finder, which shows the actual image in front of the camera
through a peep hole or through mirrors, or an electronic view finder
which is simply a small LCD display.

6. Aperture ring – This part is found around the old manual lens of
SLR camera which functions as a way to select an aperture opening.

7. Focusing ring – This is also found around the lens of a DSLR

camera. This is turned manually to focus the lens.

8. LCD display – This is the small screen at the back of the camera
used for framing or for reviewing recorded images.

9. Flash – This part is usually built-in on the body of the camera.

It provides an instantaneous burst of bright light to illuminate a poorly lit
scene.

10. Control buttons – This comprises a set of directional keys

and a few other buttons to activate certain functions and menus. This is
used to let the users interact with the camera’s computer system

11. Power switch – This part turns on or off the camera. This
may also contain a record/play mode selector on some cameras.

12. Zoom control – This is usually marked with W (wide) and

T (tele). This part allows the user to control the camera’s lenses to zoom-

22
 in or zoom-out. For DSLR cameras, the zoom is usually controlled by a
zoom ring in the lens.

13. Battery compartment – This part holds the batteries. The

size and shape of battery compartment differ in every camera model.

14. Memory card slot – This is where expansion memory

cards are inserted. The proper position of the card is often indicated. A
mechanical catch usually holds the card in place and a spring helps it
eject.

15. Flash mount (or hot-shoe) – This is the standard holder

with contact plates for optional flash accessory.

16. Diopter adjuster – This part (Figure 52) is usually

available in mid- to high-end sub-compact cameras and DSLRs. This
located beside the viewfinder. This varies the focal length of the lens in
the viewfinder in order for people wearing eyeglasses see clearly through
it even without the eyeglasses.
17. Tripod mount – This part allows the user to attach a
tripod or monopod for added stability.

Elements of a Good Photograph

Most people know what a bad photograph looks like, yet not many
people can recognize what makes a photograph good. Photographer Jan
DeVille (n.d.) gives the following elements that make up good photographs
and, if you understand them, you can use your knowledge to improve your
own photography.

Composition

Clearing your mind and viewing the image as a whole can accomplish
composing a good photograph. Taking a moment before you press the
shutter button allows your eye to focus on the entire scene as opposed to
the main subject. Are there branches or poles poking out of the subject's
head? Is there a garbage can that intrudes from the bottom corner? Taking a
moment to breathe, pause, and evaluate the details in the photograph you're
composing can make a huge difference in your finished product.

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is one of the first things taught in any photography
program. It is more of an art than a science, so don't spend too much of
your time focusing on getting it exactly right. To employ the rule of thirds in

23
your photography, mentally divide up your frame into three distinct vertical
sections and three distinct horizontal sections. Then, when composing your
photograph, keep the action and important figures confined to where those
sections overlap. A good example of this is a lake landscape -- the sky in the
upper third, thetree line in the middle third and the water in the lower third.

Framing

Framing is used to draw your viewer's eye to the subject of the

photograph. It can also be used to take natural elements to frame your
subject. Many photographers use branches to frame their subject, though it
can be just as easy to use elements of the photograph that occur naturally.
Strong diagonal lines that draw focus to the subject are excellent frames.
However, you should be careful not to let the frame overpower the
photograph or detract from your subject.

Lighting

Lighting can make or break a photograph. The sun can be your best
friend when shooting outdoors. You can diffuse harsh sunlight through a
variety of diffuser screens, or reflect it onto your subject using kitchen foil.
Indoors, things become a bit trickier. Using natural light is preferable, but a
well-lit subject is vital, and you may have to play a little bit with what light
is available to you in order to get the desired effect. The basic rule in lighting
is that the closer the light source, the softer the light. The farther the source
of light on the subject, the harder the light you can get. Hence, there is a
need to move a light closer, to make it bigger—that is, broader—in relation
to your subject. Move it farther away, and you make it relatively smaller,
and therefore narrower.

Exposure

Proper exposure is vital for creating a good photograph. Overexposed

photos have their white areas blown out, which washes out the picture,
while underexposed photographs can be very dark depending on the make
and model of your camera.

Storytelling

Photography is a great means of storytelling. Just as a writer speaks

using words, a photographer speaks through his images. Photographer
Andrew Hudson says, “A photograph is a message. It conveys a statement
("Here we are in..."), an impression ("This is what ... looks like"), or an
emotion. The context gives the subject relevance, presence, location, or other
interest. It is the combination of the two elements—subject and context,
foreground and background—that tells the message.” Moreover, Arlene
Miles, another photographer added that good photographs convey a mood or

24
sense of a moment in time. Look for intensity of emotion in people and
situations that tell something about life itself. A great photograph is a piece
of art. It captures the spirit of a subject and evokes emotion. We need to
have a genuine interest in the subjects we photograph. Photographer Bob
Krist calls it "the spirit of place." You are an artist that can use subtle tricks
to appeal to your viewer's sense

Graphic Interest

People want to be amused, entertained, or learn something from a

photograph. Photographer Stanley Leary expresses that our photos need to
be technically correct, that’s understood, just as a musician is expected to at
least play the right notes. But if the photo doesn’t draw the viewer in and
move them in some way, it’s like listening to a machine perform Chopin.
What we choose to include or exclude makes up the graphical elements that
can catch the viewer’s attention.

Taking good photographs has little to do with owning expensive

equipment and knowing technical data. The secret is in seeing. Ask yourself:
What do I look at, and how do I see it? A good photograph has qualities that
display the skill, art, interests, and personality of the photograp

Strong photographs are simple and clear. Busy, distracting

backgrounds pull the attention away from the central theme of your photo.
The subject of your photo is absolutely the most important element, and
anything that detracts from the subject can ruin your shot. Andrew Hudson
says, “Knowing what to exclude is just as important as knowing what to
include. Anything that isn't part of the subject or its context is only a
distraction, cluttering up the image and diluting the message. So eliminate
extraneous surroundings—usually by moving closer to the subject—and
make a clear, tidy shot. A painter creates art by addition—adding more paint
—whereas a photographer creates art by subtraction or removing
unnecessary elements. The recipe for a good photograph is: "A foreground, a
background, and nothing else." Photograher Liz Masoner explains, “A
photograph is a two- dimensional representation of a three-dimensional
scene. This means that the camera effectively "flattens" the scene.
Background is anything behind your subject. If there is a tree directly
behind a person's head it will appear that the tree is growing out of their
head. Likewise, a fence could seem to grow out of the side of a person.
Foreground is anything in front of your subject. Foreground is just as
important. If you are shooting a beautiful lake sunset but there is an ugly
tire in the water's edge the photograph can be ruined.”

Basic Camera Shots

25
 1. Close-up shot: This shot concentrates on either the face or a
specific detail of an object. A close-up of a face is considered a very
intimate shot. It is because in real life we only let people whom we trust
get that close to our face like our mothers, children, and lover

2. Extreme close-up shot: This is a much-tighter close-up shot in

which you get detail greater than the human eye would experience in
reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the
mouth or eyes, with no background detail whatsoever. This is a very
artificial shot, and can be used for dramatic effect

3. Eye-level shot: The camera is positioned on a level with the

focus. This is considered a fairly neutral shot.

4. Bird’s eye view: This shows a scene from directly overhead, a

very unnatural and strange shot. Familiar objects viewed from this shot
might seem totally unrecognizable at first (e.g., umbrellas in a crowd,
dancers’ legs). This shot does, however, put the audience in a God-like
position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look
insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things.

5. High-angle shot: In this type of shot, the camera is elevated

above the action or setting to give a general overview. High angle shots
make the object or character photographed seemed smaller; that is, they
get swallowed up by their setting – they become part of the wider picture.
6. Low-angle shot: This shot increases height and gives a sense of
speeded motion. Common backgrounds of a low angle shot are sky,
ceiling, among others.

7. Oblique or canted shot: The camera is tilted to suggest

imbalance, transition, and instability. However, one can experiment on
this “free play” of shots.

Basic Photography Rules

1. Get a steady hand on the camera. Avoid shaking your camera so

that pictures may not come out blurred. If you really can't avoid these, it
would better to use a tripod or inserting your elbows to your sides so that
you get a stable grip.

2. Choose a pleasing backdrop, preferably something that suits the

atmosphere you want to create. For more serious photographs, a subtle
backdrop that is not too distracting is best.

3. Avoid direct sunlight when shooting outdoors. If using the sun

as a source of natural light, make sure it is behind the photographer. In

26
addition, when shooting outdoors during bright, sunny days, it would be
best to use a flash. This will get rid of the shadows that sometimes appear
on the faces of subjects on photographs.
4. Remember that when taking outdoor photographs, you have to
make sure you pay attention to what's happening around you. This will not
allow strangers to mysteriously appear in group shots!

5. For portraits it is important to have a fitting backdrop. Using a

tripod helps to keep the shot from being blurred. It also helps to keep the
photograph straight. In addition, a nervous subject will never give you the
smile you need to capture. Pay attention to his or her mannerisms and find
the best way to put each individual at ease.
6. When taking group photos make sure that everyone gets
included in the picture. Some directing on the photographer's part might be
necessary. There is nothing wrong with giving out. Instruct people to smile,
ask them to fix their hair if it's unruly, etc. Position everyone so that they fit
into the picture. The tallest persons should be in the back row, so nobody
gets accidentally blocked from the shot.

7. When taking outdoors shots photographers should avoid going

head to head with the sun. This makes the people in the picture appear as if
they are enshrouded in shadows!

8. Take candid shots! This is a more exciting alternative to dull,

boring, posed shots. The story becomes more immediate and alive when
people are not posing for the camera. During parties try to take pictures of
friends and family while they are at ease and just having a great time.
Spontaneous shots are wonderful!

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