figure composition in photography
TRANSCRIPT
Figure Composition in PhotographyAuthor(s): Tudor Jenks and E. S. BennettSource: The Monthly Illustrator, Vol. 3, No. 11 (Mar., 1895), pp. 353-355Published by:Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25581986 .
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FIGURE CO'MPOSITION IN PHOTFOGRAPHY
BE TIUDOR JE.NKS
ZI/uslra/cd (tfrom f///(2ra ./s 1)1' E. S. Btiltc/.
A MlODERN' CH \RLOTTE CORD \A'
PHIOTOGRAPHY is the legritimate daughter of art, and
scienlce is but lher nutlrse. 'Tlhe motive that urged milent
to fix the image of the camera obscura, was the love of
the beautiful rather tlhan the desire of knowledge. 'Tlhe
manifold apl)lications of the camera to indclustries and
comiamerce tendcl to obscture its linieage; an cl the i;rofes
sional photographer, who mllust conlsicder first tht' comll
mercial side of his business, nlaturally lenids himllself to
hiis art's cleo-radlationi. His pati-oiis pay for resemnblIance
andcl to secure resemiblanice witlh the least expendlitutre
of time, taste, audI trouible, will bring him the most geni
eral and best-paying custoilm. But the amateur shIouldC
be an artist. He canl never comiipete wvitlh professionals
upon their clhosen field, but lbe has already shown that
whlere pure art is concernied the professional is ou"t of
the race.
Tlhe artistic quality to wvhiclh photography canl best
establish its claiml- is comiipositioni-tlbe arrangement of objects artistically. l he
draftsmani slhould excel in accelnt, the colorist in harmony, anid chiaroscuro may xvell be sttuldiecl by both as a miieanis ____ _ ____
to\vard reachlinig aniy especial quality. But in photography accenit is r-eachecl
olyl through dI 1 loCIges "' in printing or
retoucllin, ainld color-harmony is out
of the qulestioll. BuLit composition is for
the photographer as for the dlraftsimiani
or- colorist. From giv-eni objects hie may
conlstruict a picture or milake a hotchl
potch ; andl his ar-tistic ranik is deter
iminied by his position betw-een these ex t re mies.
AW'itlh this paper ar-e somiie illtustr-a
tiolis of picture-making, with sl)eciall r-eferenice to the possibilities of compo sitioi before the camera. The picture,
for example, " No Thoroughlfare,'' is
onae whlier-e the g-rouplilng is (ood0, the
attittucles are pleasillo, andcl the comiposi
tionl is simple and(i effective. It is lack ill) o1lyN7 in a bit of " Slherlock Holimies"
dletail. If the inotice wvere real, the gate
wvould be closecl, or at least capable of N'O TllOlhOlCHJ ARE
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- , 1*~.4 7-*
THr-- DRYAD'S PAT
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Figure Composition in Photog,rphy 355
beinlog closed ; and nlowN, the sigll is so
placecl that the gate must slhut against it.
TIlhe Dryad's Patlh " is excellenitly
coniposed, in that the attentioni is con
centrated oni the figure, the linies of the
pose are graceful, anid the masses suffi
*cien-tlv brokeni. Possibly the picture
Would have gainied in suLgoestiveness
if the eves lhacl beeni dir-ected down
ward. Best of all is "Thl e Cross-cut."
-i
THE CROSS-CUT
The linles are clmarilliolvIx varied, the
(la-rk points well placecl, anid thie broadl
lighlits harmonizecl. The avoidance of
the vertical linie gives a subtle sugges
tioIn of ImlotioIn. This picture it w\ould
be difficult to imipr-ove. T akeni altoo-etlher, the pictures are
pleasinig andcl satisfactory-and what an
adlvance they ar-e over the hicle-bound
subject with hiis headl in a vise, anid his
hand oll a. tLuncalted pillar
4~~~~~N
-''
IN STRICT CONFIDENCE
THAT'SI HIS A130T1, NO-!
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