Curves: A relatively easy task to find images with curves in the composition.

1. Steam Train, North Yorks. Moors Railway. Canon S90 compact, 1/160sec. @ F8, ISO 200. The curved track gives a strong sense of direction.

2. Poppy Field, Sherburn. Canon S90 compact, 1/200sec. @ F8, ISO 250. There is a nice "s"-shaped curve from the bottom leading right-left-right out of the distant valley to the hills beyond.

3. Window, Foxholes Church, East Yorkshire. Canon EOS 1D Mk111, 100-400zoom, 1/100sec. @ F8, ISO 200. The nice semi-circular curves of the window softens the stone architecture. The gravestones are looking up in homage to it.

4. "-and across the line." Olivers Mount M/C Races. Canon EOS 1D Mk111, 1/125sec. @ F18, ISO 400. The curved track also gives a flowing sense of direction.

OCA Course: Elements of Design: Diagonals.

Diagonals: I found this exercise much easier than the previous one, as the manual suggests.

1. Stables, Bochum, Germany. EOS 33 film camera, 17-40mm zoom lens. No exposure details. Scaned from a greyscale negative. Not quite a diagonal cutting the image across the centre, but strong diagonals nevertheless. My daughter lives in Germany and rides Dressage. There are many equestrian establishments in the Rhur Valley.

2. A similar image to 1., and the same details, but cropped as a square with the diagonal through the centre.

3. Pine Trees. Canon EOS 1D Mk111, 17-40mm zoom at 17mm, with the camera tilted to create the diagonal view. 1/160sec. @ F5.6, ISO 200.

4. Fylingdales Ballistic Missile Early Warning Station. Canon EOS 1D Mk111, 28-135mm zoom, 1/50sec. @ F8, ISO 100. The path and valley over the moors form a diagonal leading to the "pyramid" (which replaced the famous "golfballs"). One doesn't hang around here too long with a camera!

5. Derelict Windmill, Norfolk. Canon EOS 40D, 17-40mm zoom, 1/800sec. @ F7.1, ISO 200. A strong diagonal from the sail spar.

OCA Course: Elements of Design - Horizontal and vertical lines

Horizontal and vertical lines: I found it difficult to pick images with just one strong line, so most of the images here have several lines, and therefore probably don't exactly fit the brief. Moreover, often there is a combination of vertical and/or horizontal lines in one image, so I have tried to play on the strength of one over the other.

Vertical 1. Prince of Wales Terrace. Canon S90 compact: 1/250sec. @ F8, ISO 200.
There are lots of vertical lines here, typical of the urban environment. It's almost impossible to isolate one dominant vertical, although the lamp-post right of centre divides near from far.

Vertical 2. Reeds, Filey Dams Nature Reserve. Canon EOS 1D Mk111, 100-400 zoom, 1/250sec. @ F8, ISO 200. A large number of vertical reeds actually end up producing a horizontal line along their top.

Vertical 3. Dead Scots Pines, Beinn Eighe, Scotland. Canon EOS 1D Mk111, 17-40mm zoom, 1/25sec. @ F6.3, ISO 200. The pale dead trees form a contrast with the live, green, rounded ones.

Vertical 4. Bale Stack, Bridlington. Canon EOS 1D Mk111, 100-400 zoom, 1/250 @ F8, ISO 200. It's still harvest time here "up north". This vertical stack of bales compliments the vertical lines of stubble and tractor tracks.

Horizontal 1. Harwood Dale Lake. Canon S90 compact: 1/250sec. @ F8, ISO 200. Despite the vertical format, there are several horizontal lines that divide the image into layers. The line along the far edge of the lake dominates for me, although the slightly oblique dark hedge is also strong.

Horizontal 2. Prunus Serrula Bark, Barnsdale Gardens, Rutland. Canon S90 compact: 1/60sec. @F8, ISO 200. A vertical trunk covered in horizontal lines, all of equal strength.

Horizontal 3. Stubble Field, East Yorkshire Wolds. Canon EOS 1D Mk 111, 17-40mm zoom, polariser, 1/250sec @ F8, ISO 200. One can't really ignore the horizontal line of a horizon.

Horizontal 4. Sir Nigel Gresley, Scarborough Station. Canon EOS 10D, 17-40mm zoom, 1/60sec @F5.6, ISO 100. The lines of the famous locomotive emphasise speed. We occasionally get steam trains on special holiday runs from the National Railway Museum at York.It always brings out loads of photographers when one turns up.

Horizontal 5. Cruise Ship, Castries, St. Lucia. Canon EOS 40D, 17-40mm zoom, 1/200sec. @ F10, ISO 200. The deck line divides the image top from bottom. Must be horrendous on board!

The take-home message for me with this exercise is that finding dominant isolated lines in an image is not easy, but finding horizontal and vertical images is.
In comparison with the list in the "manual", I've included the horizon, a row of objects, tree trunks, and man-made objects (buildings, and trains), and apart from the odd landscape, not much in the way of alternatives.

OCA Course: Elements of Design - multiple points

Multiple Points: All the "Elements of Design" exercises have been testing for me, as I'm not a "flower arranger", and birds (which is what I normally photograph) aren't prone to being re-arranged. In fact, most of the time you are damned lucky to get a picture at all. I initially tried this "Nuts and Bolts" approach with a full studio flash set-up and a pro-digital SLR, but couldn't get my head round a decent arrangement. This attempt was with a digital compact with built-in flash. I set up a sheet of rusting metal as background and introduced bits and pieces to try and make some sort of interesting arrangement. However, I don't think it succeeds.


1. The single bolt opens the "metalwork" theme.

2. The nut re-enforces this.

3. Addition of the black bolt adds a little balance.

4. There is now more balance between the two sides of the image.

5. Re-arrangement makes an implied triangle.

6. Adding more elements fills the blank space between the two groups.

7. Diagonals and triangles beginning to emerge.

8. New objects add more interest.

9. The final theme is emerging.

10. Almost complete.

11. A little tidying gives the final picture.

The final image is a combination of diagonals and trianges as befits the geometric shapes of the objects, but overall it doesn't have much in the way of balance or symmetry, or of any interesting shapes or curves.

12. Sketch of design.

OCA Course: Points - Relationship between points.

The Relationship Between Points: I found it difficult to connect with this concept, as one can draw lines between two objects in a frame, but it doesn't often confer any real meaning to me. Perhaps I'm missing something.


"Speedboat 1". There is a relationship between the breakwater and the boat - no doubt the pilot is trying to avoid a collision! The breakwater is dominant because of its dark intrusion into the frame.


"Speedboat 2". The breakwater here acts as a boundary beyond which the boat cannot go, and therefore dominates by limiting its journey and making it turn back.


"Speedboat 3". All is serene, with a calm sea and the boat and breakwater well separated. The breakwater may dominate slightly because it is bigger and darker, but both elements are about the same importance. It'll rain soon, and they'll all get wet.

OCACourse: Points - Positioning a point

Positioning a Point: I suppose I do this subconsciously all the time, but rather get stuck on the "Rule of Thirds", so my pictures aren't very adventurous on the whole.


"Bumpy Road Ahead" - a fairly naff mundane image. I chopped off the right side to make a square picture. I placed the sign top left, because roadsigns are meant to be advisory or authoratative, and therefore command a high position in relation to the driver. We also read from left to right, so the left position symbolises the start of a statement, which in accented by a capital letter at the start of the sentence. This doesn't work on the Continent unless you read Arabic.


"Lone Tree, Yorkshire Wolds". The tree dominates the horizon, and it probably doesn't matter where it is placed along the horizon, as long as it's uppermost in the image to emphasise its dominance. The tracks in the field possibly lead the wrong way, so the whole composition could be better.


"Speedboat, Bridlington Bay". As the boat is moving rapidly left to right, I've given it space to move into the frame, and its position between beach and horizon gives a sense of scale and distance.