The Elements of Art

1. The Elements of Art

And how they are used to create
interesting photos

2. The Elements of Art:

The Elements of Art are the
basic building blocks of an
image. They are:
Line
Color/Value
Texture
Shape/Form
Space

3. The Elements of Art in Photography:

Just as in a
painting or
sculpture, the
Elements of Art
are the building
blocks of any
good
photograph.
Jerry Uelsmann- “Ripple in Hand”

4. Line:

Line is an edge or
border between
objects.
Sometimes line is
the primary
subject of a
photograph, as in
the example on
the right.

5. Line:

Other times, line
is used to lead the
viewer’s eye
around, or to
cause them to
look at an area or
object that is the
main focus of the
photograph.
Cornell Capa- “Bolshoi Ballet School”

6. Color and Value:

Color and value are
grouped together
because sometimes they
exist exclusively. The
painting on the right
shows little black or
white. Instead of using
pure black or white to
represent highlights and
shadows, the artist chose
colors.
Janet Fish- “Green Tea Cup”

7. Color and Value:

In a drawing, the artist does the exact opposite. They
use a value ( a specific shade of gray) to represent
every color.

8. Value

When using
black and white
film, the film
also records
each color as a
specific value.
Lewis Hine- “Steamfitter”

9. Texture:

Texture is the way
something feels,
or looks like it
would feel if
touched.
Look at the image
to the right. Use
adjectives to
describe the
different textures
you see.

10. Texture:

When taking
photographs,
texture will almost
always be an
important element.
This is because
almost everything
we come into
contact with has
some kind of
texture.
Frederick Sommer- “Livia”

11. Shape/Form:

Shape is a 2-dimensional
line with no form or
thickness.
Form is a 3-dimensional
object having volume and
thickness.
Geometric Forms

12. Shape/Form:

In Photography,
shapes and forms
convey not only what
something is, but
what properties it has.
What properties does
the image to the right
have?
Imogen Cunningham- “Seda”

13. Space:

Space can be
used to refer
to distance,
or to the
empty space
in an
artwork
Andrew Wyeth - “Christina’s World”

14. Negative Space:

Negative
space is the
area in
between
and around
objects.
Positive Space
Negative Space

15. Negative Space:

Often, what we leave
out of a photograph is
as important as what
we choose to include.
The shapes created by
the negative space in
an image can have a
great impact on the
overall look of the
photograph.
Horst P. Horst- “Mainbocher's Pink Satin Corset
”

16. Summary:

You have probably
noticed that many of the
photographs we looked at
contained more than one
of the elements of art.
This is expected! Often,
several elements will
appear in each
photograph.
George Krause- “Fountainhead”

17. Summary:

It is important to understand and to use a variety
of the elements of art in order to make your
photographs stronger.
Until you are more familiar with the elements
of art, it is a good idea to look over the list prior
to shooting photos.
You will have a quiz on your elements of art so
make sure you know them!