Pt 2, Exercise 3 Multiple Points

"With several points the relationships are not so predictable." Says the exercise.

Well, it wasn't kidding, it took me a while to get my head round this, but once I'd worked out what I think is needed, I started to think about subjects.  I didn't want to do rocks & pebbles as that's in the course notes, and decided I wanted to do something more industrial, with hard metal surfaces.  I reasoned that these would work well in black and white.  Some rooting around in the garage saw me return with a handful of objects to build a scene with which to site my points, which are a collection of steel nuts.

Multiple Points 1, 50mm, 1/160, f6.3

The first image has a nut placed next to the ruler.  Positioning the nut in the open space looked odd to me and deliberately positioned, but in a haphazard way.

Multiple Points 2, 50mm, 1/160, f6.3

Multiple Points 2 adds another nut near to the adjustable spanner.  There is a clear line between the two and the eye is drawn from the lower to the higher point.  The proximity of the jaws of the adjustable spanner add some context to the positioning.

Multiple Points 3, 50mm, 1/160, f6.3

The addition of a larger 3rd point gives the image a definate shape, one that reminds me of a reclined car seat.

Multiple Points 4, 50mm, 1/160, f6.3

The fourth point adds some balance.  The shape is similar to a see-saw and the larger nut is closer to the centre than the small nut, giving the impression of equilibrium.

Multiple Points 5, 50mm, 1/160, f6.3

The 5th point makes a trio of points, which has now become dominant, with two incidental satellite points either side.

Multiple Points 6, 50mm, 1/160, f6.3

Another point has introduced a distinct curve.  There is a suggestion of order, but the overall arrangement is still abstract, but the curve is pleasing to the eye

Multiple Points 7, 50mm, 1/160, f6.3

Another point and a slight rearrangement gives the points a new relationship.  The two groups are seemingly interacting, despite being unbalanced.

Multiple Points 8, 50mm, 1/160, f6.3

The addition of an 8th point, linking the two groups together had a dramatic effect.  The points now look like a horse or a camel!  This was not intentional, but I decided to shoot it and add it to the sequence to show how much an image could change with just a single small change.  The addition of this point has left a somewhat comedic image, time to make a change!

Multiple Points 9, 50mm, 1/160, f6.3

The final arrangement has two clusters of points.  The image has a symmetry, and it looks like the smaller cluster has detached from the main cluster.  The gap between the clusters adds interest and draws the eye down and to the right.  The red lines in the picture below, show the symmetrical relationship between the two clusters.  The green lines show how lines are converged on the mid point of the smaller cluster which draws the eye.

There are two shapes formed in the final arrangement as shown below.  These are complementary and space between them ties them together as well.  Although the shapes are clearly quite different, there is a degree of symmetry as well.