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Re: esoteric question
Christina Z. Anderson wrote:
> ... everyone I'm sure is
> familiar with the Golden Mean, Golden Section, ...
This is only one of many aspects associated with composition. One may
be able to abstract a single relationship such as the Golden Section,
but this in no way will provide for all the control of a composition.
Sometimes the beauty is that the mathematics does not explain it all.
Negative space, counter point, and unsolicited interpretation can play
havoc with that "fuzzy math".
For my own concern, the Golden Section is of interest and worth study,
but by no means a director of composition. I would also maintain that
pure mathematics and computers and machines as they are known to exist
today cannot create art.
Bill Kennedy wrote:
> ... Every photographic composition begins and ends on the edges of the
> frame, and the shape of that frame is important. ...
But I would challenge as to what exactly is the frame or edge. I found
it interesting that Frederick Sommer explained to me that the edge of a
rectangular image was more like the shape of a race track placed into
the rectangle typically filled by an image. This track could be large
and tight to the rectangle or it could be small leaving much space (and
not necessarily symmetrical). Outside of the edge of the image would be
four corners, each fitting into one of the corners of the rectangle
(sometimes separate and sometimes partly overlapping). The total image
would consist of the four corners and the area within the edge.
However, he maintained that the business part of the image would be
contained within the four curved edges importantly supported by the four
corners. Purhaps if a Golden Sectioning were to be associated with such
a composition, it may consist of curved lines rather than straight.
--
Jeffrey D. Mathias
http://home.att.net/~jeffrey.d.mathias/