Using the 8 Principles of Art to Create Photos

In the previous column, you discovered the 7 Elements of Art and how they can help you make your photos. Today, you will discover the 8 Principles of Art.

These essential principles will help you improve your photos. They will spark interest among your viewers. You simply must dedicate some time to making your photos meaningful.

You may even be unconsciously applying some of these principles. This article is intended to help you master them first in the field when you are taking pictures and second once you are in the developing and processing phase.

This article will help you understand how to implement a new tool in your photography toolbox. By implementing it, you will make your photos even more interesting and instill in them true meaning.

A red deer stag in a clearing during the bellowing. This photo is harmonious. It respects the first principle of the art.

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The Story Behind This Article

In 2010, when I chose to reorient my professional activity from illustrative photography for magazines or stocks, to artistic photography, I researched the work of many artists. I started to study Rembrandt for his management of light, and Michelangelo for his way of seeing shapes.

But the one who held my attention for many weeks was Leonardo da Vinci. This legend of genius has always intrigued me. I learned that he left nothing to chance. He was a perfectionist artist who did not hesitate to destroy works in order to start them again, trying to reach excellence. I understood above all that he perfectly mastered the codes of artistic creation. His foundations were solid. From these foundations, he created new works or new techniques.

It was his life and his way of creating that inspired me. This is still the case today. I read that he had studied and worked a lot on the principles of art.

In 2010, I didn't know them. I was either making my photos or relying on my method to judge a photo in 5 points. It was just enough to make excellent illustrative photos.

But photography is much more demanding, complex, and difficult. So I memorized the essential principles of the art that da Vinci was using. They have never left me. I thought it would be interesting for you to know them too. They will help you to create better pictures.

I wish you a good journey in a world where everything exists, but yet where everything remains to be created.

The 8 Principles of Art

Here are the principles. They are valid for any artistic activity:

Harmony.
Balance.
Proportion.
Accentuation.
Graduation.
Rhythm.
Variety.
Movement.

It is obvious that not all these principles are present in every work of art. They constitute the basic foundations on which a work of art must provide unique content to be interesting. These principles are the result of thousands of years of artistic creation. They have been formulated over time. You may not agree with them. That is your choice. But reinventing the wheel which already exists won't do you much good. Your goal is to use these foundations to create, to advance, to develop, and to showcase your vision of the world to others.

Because of all of the artists who took years to compile it, this list will continue to serve you throughout your life as a photographer, even if you practice illustrative photography.

I realized a few years ago that if I had studied, understood, and learned this list of principles of art, I would have certainly made better illustrative photographs. I realized that these principles also extend far beyond art.

Application to Photography

These 8 Principles of Art apply perfectly to photography. They are pillars to help you choose your points of view, the way you frame, and your compositions. You will see that the rule of thirds is only a consequence of one of these principles.

You will read in this article that photographing animals at eye level is only a consequence of one of the principles. You will see that the management of the horizon line is a consequence of the principles of balance and proportion. I could multiply these examples again and again.

If you master the 7 Elements and the 8 Principles of Art, you have in your hands the basic tools to make good photos. All you have to do is master the codes of the language and writing of photography to express yourself.

Principle #1: Harmony

The definition of harmony is as follows:

The quality of a whole that results from the agreement of its parts or elements and their adaptation to a purpose.

If we apply this definition to art in general, we can say that a harmonious work is the way one combines identical or different elements to accentuate their similarity. To achieve this effect, the artist uses repetition or subtle gradations.

If I refine this definition to the field of photography, I can say that a photo is harmonious when it is visually satisfying.

The harmony of a photo results from the fact that you have correctly ordered different photographic elements in a pleasing way. They organize themselves in a natural way and combine to create your picture.

The harmony in photography results from an organization of the lines, the figures, the forms, the colors, the tones, and the textures which result in creating a pleasant vision to invest time into.

This photographic organization ensures that no element is incongruous or dissonant in your composition.

All these years of learning and experience have made me understand that a harmonious photo is just "right" and makes us feel "right” when we look at it.

It encourages us to feel peace and tranquility. We relax. We experience great calmness in our soul just by looking at it, even if it is a complex picture.

The question you are asking yourself now is how to create harmonious photos. My answer is to take care of your compositions. I remind you that composing a photo is organizing the different photographic elements of the scene in a harmonious way.

You have to choose which elements will be dominant and which will be the secondary elements. You must pay attention to the disturbing elements that do not bring anything to the reading of the photo.

You need to make good use of the reinforcing elements of reading that allow the viewer to put their eyes in the right place.

You must pay attention to the attributes of the photographic elements such as color and tones. You must analyze the values of each element (see the article about the 7 Elements of Art).

You need to keep a close eye on the balance of mass, avoiding an area that is too dark or too light to catch the eye of the viewer.

You must also pay attention to the harmony of color. I recommend that you know the color wheel well in order to manage complementary colors that catch the eye. Analogous colors allow for smooth transitions.

If you place a skyline in a photo, ask yourself how high you should place it to give your photo impact. Is the sky important? Is the land part essential?

To create a harmonious photo, you must pay close attention to the tone. That is to say the general rendering of the different tones of the photo. Is it a rather dark or rather light photo?

If you choose a light tone, your dark tones will be small areas in your photo. They should attract the eye without holding it for long. They are just there to highlight the subject. Or maybe it's the subject that is dark. Even if it is small, it will hold the attention because it will be the only one that is dark.

If the tone of your photo is dark, the spots of light must be small and discreet. They constitute the negative space that highlights the subject of your scene.

To create a harmonious photo, you also need to think about shapes. As I explained in the article on using the 7 Elements of Art, shapes are made up of closed lines that define a surface but have volume. Do not, for example, have a beautiful row of trees crossed by a horizontal line. You will break the harmony.

Avoid sharp shapes in a photo where you have a dominant of soft curves.

As you are beginning to understand, the harmony of a photo depends completely on the meaning, the message, and the emotions that you want to transmit. This is the first step: define what you want to translate or say with your photo. Next, do the following:

Define the dominant element.
Define the secondary elements.
Pay attention to the general tone.
Study the elements of reading reinforcement.
Study the attributes of the main elements.
Pay attention to color management.
Pay attention to shapes.

Remember that a harmonious photo is a photo that is pleasant to look at. It is a whole. It is a whole. No element should be stronger than the others. A photo is a structure composed of several parts. So, you can also create different types of photographic harmonies:

Une photo est une structure composée de plusieurs parties. Vous pouvez aussi créer donc des types d'harmonies photographiques :

Complex harmony.
Simple harmony.

Complex harmony is when you arrange many photographic elements together. Since each element has attributes, you need to manage the reinforcing elements well so that a viewer's gaze is directed where you want it to go.

Simple harmony is when you have a single main photographic element with a single tone negative space. The subject stands out easily. It becomes easily identifiable. The photo is easily readable.

To finish with the photographic harmony, I will summarize by saying that it is for you to organize the photographic elements of a scene so that the whole is pleasant to look at. We are in the register of the creation of a photo. We don't just take it.

But be careful. Harmony is one of the principles of art. It is interesting to apply it in photography. Your photos are well constructed. But will they be interesting? My answer is no. Photographic harmony is a tool, not an end in itself.

Often I see harmonious photos, but I can't find a meaning, to define the message. This is more and more frequent because computer tools are more and more powerful. I look more and more at photos that have perfectly managed colors, very soft tones, and beautiful transitions. But in the end, they are flat and without relief. There is no sense to these photos. Be careful.

Photographic harmony is a tool for your creativity and what you want to say with your photos. Photographic harmony can also be called photographic unity. The difference between the two concepts is subtle.

Photographic unity is achieved when there is a close relationship between the different photographic elements of a composition, but they are not necessarily identical.

Unity is achieved when you make a photo composed of very different elements, but the whole conveys a coherent message, an easily identifiable emotion.

I mentioned here the concept of uniqueness, because I will come back to it in principle #7: variety.

Principle #2: Balance

The Figure: Uncovering the Second Element of Art

Example of the use of a figure in photography. It is a landscape of the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.

The Characteristics of a Line

After exploring and describing the different types of lines you can use in photography, I propose to give you the characteristics of the lines.

This is very important, because the characterization of a line will change its impact on a photo. The characteristics of the lines are valid for all types.

The Width

This is also called thickness. A thick line gives presence, strength.

A thin line suggests fragility. It seems easier to break.

If you add a line that goes into the background and narrows in width, you create a visual illusion of depth. An example of this is a road that starts in the foreground and stretches out into the background. Although the line itself does not last long, it appears to wind for ages into the distance.

This road which goes down towards Castle Valley, gives depth to the photo.

The length

A short line suggests action, speed, short term, immediacy.

A long line suggests continuity, duration in time.

A continuous line suggests stability, relaxation.

A broken line suggests a sense of movement.

If you were to capture animal tracks in the snow or footprints in the sand, this would be a perfect example of a broken line found naturally in the wild. A long line might be depicted in nature as an unwavering cliff face, or the long and narrow bones of the face of a deer in a close up photo.

Visual tactility

Visual tactility is the way a viewer feels when looking at a photo. This is a very important concept in photography. It expresses the fact that we mentally associate sensations that we have actually felt in our past, while contemplating images. For example, if you have ever felt dizzy when looking at a void from a great height, you will experience and feel the same sensations when looking at a photo showing a precipice.

This visual tactility is a characteristic of lines. You can suggest visual tactility by choosing and correctly placing a line or lines in a photo.

By exploiting the visual tactility of the lines, you can engage a viewer physically and visually.

Direction

The direction of a line completely changes the nature of a photo. A horizontal line suggests stability, security, and relaxation. A diagonal line suggests energy. A vertical line suggests elevation.

When you take a picture, you need to have the direction of the lines in mind to deliver your message correctly.

Sharpness

The sharper that a line is in a photo, the more it suggests a sharp contrast. It attracts the attention of the viewer.

A sharp line should be used to mark abrupt changes in a photo. It behaves like a border. A slightly blurred or completely blurred line suggests a subtle change. It is a smooth transition between different planes. You must consider the sharpness of the lines in your photos to properly suggest your messages.

Color

As you have already seen with your photos, colors have a very strong emotional impact on the viewers.

Color is an essential asset in providing an interesting visual experience to a viewer.

The color of a line is no exception to the rule. A blue line suggests calm, relaxation. A red color suggests energy or anger.

I will not detail in this paragraph the meaning of colors in photography. I have already described this in another article. I will come back to it a little further in this article.

Managing Lines in Photography

The parallelism of horizontal and vertical lines

When you include several horizontal lines in a photo, you must make sure that they are parallel. If you don't, it will be difficult for a viewer to read your photos.

The Perspective Management

When you use vertical lines in your photos, you have to straighten them if you use a wide-angle lens.

Your lines will tend to lean towards the center of your photo.

You must use software to straighten them. If you don't, you will distort the natural perspective. The viewer will not get into your story. You must correct the distortions and distortions induced by your photographic lens.

Using Lines in Photography is Essential

The line is the first element of art that you must use to create and make your rains interesting. They will have impact. Viewers will more easily understand their meaning.

Each line has a role. Each line has a meaning.

Your goal as a photographer is to know how to use them wisely to create and give a real visual experience to your viewers.

You must learn to master these codes. The lines simply express the true meaning of the world. They will help you to improve your compositions which will become both conscious and unconscious suggestions for your viewers.

Element #2 of Art: the Figure

A figure is obtained by closing lines. You can easily imagine a square or a circle.

Geometric figures such as circles or squares are governed by precise mathematical rules.

The organic figures are random. They are found in nature. They are curved and abstract.

Example of an imaginary figure: swordfish chasing a school of sardines.

Figures can be real or imaginary. When imaginary lines come together in a picture, you receive an imaginary figure.

The triangular shape of a sailfish's fins are an example of triangles found in nature. And not just any sort of triangle. The sailfish knows he looks sharp and snappy. The viewer takes one look and is immediately drawn to his brightly colored, giant orange and red fins.

But whether real or imagined, figures have a purpose in photography: to control how a viewer will perceive a composition.

For example, a triangle can help draw the eye to a particular area of a photo.

Figures created with lines are different from figures of speech.

Why and How: Using Figures of Style in Nature Photography.

In nature, figures are rare. They are often found on sand, rocks, and on flat planes in general.

When you encounter a golden leaf, or the paw of an animal, or a patch of sunlight among the plants, you are witnessing naturally occurring figures.

A figure delimits just a part of the space. It is in two dimensions.

Element #3 of Art to Use in Photography: the Shape

After line and figure, I'm going to reveal the third element of art you need to use in photography. It is the shape.

A shape is a figure that has depth. It has three dimensions. One may think of a basic example as a cube or a ball. In nature,the organic forms are more numerous.

Man-made geometric shapes are governed by mathematical formulas. This is the case of architecture, for example.

But nature also sometimes offers geometric shapes. This is the case of crystals.

If I mention this notion of form, you will think of sculpture or architecture. You are right. It is in elements of the utmost importance for these two art forms. However, it is possible to use form in photography, even if the medium is two-dimensional.

The secret is the use of shading. When you capture the shadow of a shape in a photo, you create modeling which in turn creates volumes.

Contour lines are also a technique for creating shapes.

In photography, shapes are generated by lines, movement and value (which I will explain in one of the following paragraphs).

The most important way to emphasize a shape is to incorporate the use of light. Depending on the angle of the light source to your subject, the light can add volume or flatten a subject.

To dramatize a scene and give volume to a shape, you must create shadows. Preferably low-angled or slanted lighting, as those are often best.

The change of perspective can also alter the enhancement of a photo.

For example, if you shoot your subject from the front, you will flatten its shape. Approaching your subject from an angle will give it relief and volume.

You've got it: the choice of the angle of the light and the choice of the angle of loss of sight will flatten or accentuate the shape of your subject.

Another technique for giving shape to a subject is to play with the depth of field. If you use a shallow depth of field, you will have your subject separate from your background. This will give you a well-defined shape.

Personally, in order to emphasize the shapes in my photos, I use black and white. Black and white has a very wide range of tones (this is called tonal sensitivity). The differences in tone give depth to the photos. The shapes are very accentuated. If you prefer color, be aware that in this case the photos are flatter, because the range of tones is often less extensive.

I recommend using very bright colors to give your photos a three-dimensional look.

Movement in a photo is also a great way to emphasize shapes. For example, if you move your camera while shooting, you will create a panning effect. Your shape will have a blurred outline. This will accentuate its visibility and readability.

Finally, to accentuate the shapes in your photos, I recommend that you pay close attention to the light and its angle. Choose black and white or bright colors and be sure to play with the depth of field until you feel comfortable experimenting. Now it is time to explore the 4th element.