In-Lecture Exercise D

Composing Compositions

For this exercise, I took photos of my miniature bust of Michaelangelo's David, which was a birthday gift from my friend. Please excuse my messy backdrop.

Image 1

I began with a straight-on shot, medium close-up at around eye level. This gives little David an air of regality, composure. I also positioned him in the right third of the frame, but in the vertical center. He is the focus, but the composition is still spaced nicely around him. It is a very general shot to introduce you to little David.

Image 2

Next, I used a low angle shot to look up to David, keeping the other factors unchanged. I positioned him near the edge of my desk too. Image 2 makes little David look even more powerful, like a leader, a pioneer, a visionary.

Image 3

In Image 3, the mood is flipped with a simple change of angle and composition. From this high angle, David looks a little... insignificant. I shifted him to the left third, leaving a lot of empty space behind him. It seems he's contemplating something. He's not just insignificant, he's alone, too... doesn't really feel like a leader anymore, does he?

Image 4

Now I throw little David further into the wringer. With an extreme close up shot and his eyes in the center, his royal, powerful air is gone. His expressions seemed to have changed; He looks scared, timid, and vulnerable. Also, for the past 4 images, I positioned little David against the window to get a nice balance of light and dark on his face.

Image 5

Now an extreme long shot with a high angle, almost bird's eye view. I also relocated little David to somewhere more empty and sterile. He's truly alone and insignificant now.

Image 6

I realised I had the perfect toys to make proper use of a Dutch angle. What is happening to David? Why does he seem nervous? What's that in the back? Is there an impostor among us?