Discussion

Formal elements are important because it gives us something to look for and focus on finding when taking or analysing or evaluating a photograph. The seven elements line, colour, pattern, depth, texture, blurring and shape are all important to photographers because no matter how basic the photograph is, we will always find at least one or more elements include in the photograph. 

Line is formal element which is a geometric figure formed by a point moving along a fixed direction and the reverse direction which is surrounded by us in everyday life, everything we see is a combination of different lines together to create the objects we see, whether the are straight, curved, zigzag, wavy or just completely random, wherever we look we are sure to find some sort of line. Examples of objects that show lines are fences, buildings, stairs, leaves and plants, these are a mixture of man made and natural objects. 

The next element colour is the way the eye interprets the light reflected off an object, colour is also all around us in everyday life as without colour in our lives we would be living in  very boring and dull environment. Every single object is coloured whether it's black, white, bright orange or dark red. Examples of things that are coloured is animals, nail varnishes, clothing, pencils and toys.

The third element is pattern which is a repeated decorative design. Patterns are unique and everyone interprets them in a different way which makes the way we view everyday objects as interesting. Patterns are all around us and they are all so different, if we took the time to look closely or even just look around us we would see patterns as they tend to be quite eye catching as they aren't plain and boring. Examples of patterns are bricks, buildings, clothing, leaves and nature. Patterns can be man made or natural. 

The forth element is depth which is the distance to the front and back of something. Depth is a very simple element and is fairly easy to capture with the right scene. Depth is when a 3 dimensional scene is presented in a 2 dimensional form, so this means that it needs the right shadowing to give the image the depth it needs to create the complex effect of depth. Depth is found where there is a distance behind the object in the front for example walls, fences, railway tracks.

Texture is the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or a substance. Texture is in our everyday life as every single thing we touch has its own texture specific to that object. It can be rough, smooth, harsh , soft even rubbery. Examples of texture are clothing, walls, grass, electronics and food. 

Blurring is where something is made or becomes unclear or less distinct. Blurring is an important element as it captures the movement of the world around us for example a roundabout being spun extremely quickly or the motion of a fan going round would all show blurring if they were to be photographed. Blurring cannot be seen by the human eye as it happens to quickly but it can be captured with a camera. 

The last formal element is shape. Shape is the external form, contours or outline of something or someone. Shape is in our everyday lives as everything is made up of shapes and we are taught in our childhood how to differentiate the different basic shapes. Shapes can be basic or complex, lines make up shapes and shapes make up patterns which link the formal elements. Examples of shapes are buildings, flowers, road signs, electronics and fridge magnets.

Overall all of these seven formal elements are important in everyday life and in photography, as one or more of each element can be found in every single photograph taken.