While some concepts are best digested whole, it can sometimes be helpful to take a concept and break it down into smaller, more manageable parts, taking the time and effort to inquire, explore, and more deeply examine each part of the whole on its own. And that is exactly what you will be doing for this lab with the principles of design!
Rather than trying to work with all of these principles, you will be looking at each one on its own, letting open-ended inquiry guide you to explore emphasis, repetition/pattern, movement/rhythm, contrast/variety, balance, proportion, and unity.
While there is a good chance that you will often consider and utilize more than one principle at a time in your photographs, for this lab, you will be focusing on each principle by itself. You will start by researching and developing a deeper understanding of each principle followed by creating a separate photograph that highlights the main idea of each specific principle.
Ultimately, you will have two options for how you want to compile and showcase your research and photos: a slideshow presentation or a video presentation. Start by considering what questions you have about each principle, what you want to know more about, and what you are confused about – let your inquiring mind take over and start exploring online.
Take notes and gather information on the following for each principle:
A basic definition of the principle
An explanation of why or how this principle is useful in photography
An example of a photograph that you feel does an excellent job of utilizing this principle
You are not limited to the above information; feel free to include any other pertinent information that you may find along the course of your research!
Next, you will rely on your research in combination with your past and present experiences and imagination to capture a photo for each of the principles of design.
If you decide to create a slideshow presentation, you will organize and insert all of your research as well as the seven photos (one for each of the principles of design) into a slideshow presentation. If you choose to do a video, you will verbally share your research and share printed photographs or photos displayed on a tablet or screen that you can include in the video.
You may feel that the instructions for this lab are fairly loose; that is because the goal of this lab is not only to examine and learn more about the principles of design while flexing your photographic skills but also to let your inquiring mind guide the process—wherever it may take you! Get creative!
