EXERCISECircles & OvalsUse at least one roll of film to shootonly circles and ovals. You may haveother shapes in the photographs aswell, but be sure that each frame isdominated by one or more circularshapes. You may want to set up someof the shots (try experimenting witha cup and saucer, with spoons, platesor bowls), but at least half of yourshots should be of "found" circles orellipses (i.e. ones that you just hap-pen to see in your yard, neighbor-hood or town).

Try to find a variety of composi-tions using circles or ovals. Try somewith just one circular shape, somewith lots and some with a few. Trysome shots in which one or more cir-cular shapes interact with squares orother shapes. Shoot in bright sunlightat the point of departure setting.

Keep in mind the various functionsof shape and spatial relation as youdo this assignment. Without losingsight of your primary theme (circlesand ovals), see if you can use shapeto indicate mass, such as the "big-ness" of a pumpkin or a boulder. Tryto produce interesting examples ofproportion and compelling spatialrelations. In addition, try to come upwith a few shots that express whatyou think or feel about a subject.

All these shapes are available toyou as a photographer, just as theyare available to any artist. You justhave to find them.

This is not as hard as it may sound.Once you begin keeping an eye outfor interesting shapes, you'll probablybe amazed at how many are outthere, just waiting for you to capturethem on f i lm.

Start by looking for individualshapes. Then pay attention to how

Student photograph by Scott Olson.

those shapes may repeat themselvesand establish visual harmonies.Finally, allow interpretations toemerge as you experiment with dif-ferent compositions, different com-binations of objects, different view-ing angles. Allow space and spatialrelation to tell you something aboutyour subjects . . . and then try topass that "something" on to othersthrough your photographs.

Don't be at all surprised if the

"something" that you learn and wantto pass on can't be expressed inwords. If it could be, you could justsay it or write about it, and youwouldn't need to photograph it. Thebest photographs present an image oridea or feeling in a way that only aphotograph can. Strive to noticethose things tha t need to bephotographed, rather than spendingtime on those that simply can be.

110 The Photographic Eye

Student photograph by CharlesGibbs.

(Student photograph by John Pang.)

Shape 111

Student photograph by Bruce Cakebread.

112 The Photographic Eye112 The Photographic Eye