Architecture of a Photograph
Since architecture is a viable approach into analysing and designing many areas like city structure, buildings, businesses and ICT, could one use the approach to analyse the constituent parts of a photographic piece of art? To come up with an architected photograph?
What is then architecture? Traditional definition is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. In ICT and business, it's similarly about structure and principles governing the design of business and ICT. Structure can be different business and ICT services and their relations to each other. So architecture is both art and discipline.
Architecture is also about separation of concerns. Separating the WHY from WHAT, HOW and WITH WHAT. Each level of abstraction has concerns that are best understood by keeping them separate:
- The WHY concern is about the context that the design has to exist in.
- The WHAT is about the needs that the design should satisfy. In business and ICT they are often expressed as set of required services and their interrelations. The services describe the first conceptual design.
- The HOW is about the logical structure the design should have.
- The WITH WHAT is about the physical implementation.
WHY do I photograph? What is the context of my photographs? Some do it as a profession, preferably getting both material and intellectual reward out of it. Some may photograph as a way to express emotions, as a form of therapy. Some photograph for themselves, never actually sharing their work outside a close circle. Some are driven by competition and the desire for recognition. I guess the whole field of photography and the related forms of art are also part of the context. Even if I'm not aware of all of them, they do still influence how people interpret my photos. Contextual elements for a photograph could be:
- Photographer and his or her values, beliefs, goals and knowledge
- The planned audience and their beliefs and values
- Art of Photography
- Other related arts
- Society in general
WHAT should a photograph aim to achieve? Naturally the context of the photograph influences this decision. What is the equivalent of business or ICT service in a photograph? If we think photography as communication and influencing, then the service is the affect we desire to achieve. A list of conceptual 'services' could be:
- Conceptual subject that we are trying to communicate about (Me, You, Them, A Product, Opinion, Belief …)
- Emotional affectors (similar to effector or actuator) driving an emotion like joy, sadness, disgust, lust, etc.
- Intellectual affectors offering facts, information, proof, disproof, etc.
(I know the word affector is not proper English, I’m open to suggestions.)
HOW should we then achieve the desired affects? The photographer needs to select one or more concrete subjects to represent the conceptual subject. The background may be chosen to support the affect. The affect is further modified by other logical elements and the composition between them.
Logical elements of photograph could be:
- Subject(s) and its shape, colour and texture
- A background or lack of it
- Light and its direction, intensity and colour
- Contrast between colours, intensity of light, textures and subjects
- Viewpoint and the exclusion or inclusion of subjects
- Composition of subjects and background
WITH WHAT can we then implement the physical photograph? Here we should consider the technicalities of making a photograph. Everything from the time of capture, lights used, lens, exposure, media and processing to the delivery media of the final photograph. Thus the physical or implementation elements of a photograph could be:
- Time of capture (time of day alters the intensity, direction, colour and softness of light)
- Lightning equipment and modifiers to supplement and alter the available light
- Length of exposure
- Lens defines the angle of view and point of focus
- Aperture controls the depth of field
- Capture devices may alter our image
- Capture processing may make further modifications to the image
- Capture media is able to represent a certain part of the view
- Post processing can be used to achieve the desired logical elements
- Intermediate media may impose further restrictions on what may be represented
- Delivery processing may be required to render the photograph
- Delivery media and environment have the final effect on the photograph
In business and ICT architecture, best results are achieved when all four abstraction levels are mastered. I’d say the same holds true for great photographs. And I have lot to learn on Photography!
Image copyright Pasi Mäkinen, unauthorised reproduction prohibited.
