From the course: Introduction to Photography

Unlock the full course today

Join today to access over 22,600 courses taught by industry experts or purchase this course individually.

Understanding the basics of form and geometry

Understanding the basics of form and geometry

From the course: Introduction to Photography

Start my 1-month free trial

Understanding the basics of form and geometry

- As human beings we're used to interacting with our visual system in a particular way. We're used to seeing the world in a particular way. As I look back here now, what I see are some really tall trees and some lemon trees in front of them, and the tall trees are casting long spiky shadows onto the ground, and I see mountains behind those. And that's a pretty nice way of seeing the world. As a photographer, though, when I look in this direction I see something different. I see a strong series of vertical dark lines with some lighter circles in front of them, and those repeating vertical dark lines are being mirrored symmetrically on the ground. That's a really formal way of seeing and very often that's what I'm thinking when I'm taking a picture. I might recognize this is a pretty scene, but once I start getting in to making the photograph and looking to the viewfinder, I'm really trying to see the world in terms of light and dark, shape and line. This is a very formal way of…

Contents