An informative lecture with Tim Rundle opened my eyes to the popular use of visual contrast in fashion photography/promotion. Before the lecture, visual contrast was not something blindingly obvious to me, I now find myself noticing it everywhere and appreciating how effective it can be in creating an interesting visual conversation between the space, subjects and components of an image or interior.

After a recent visual analysis, I realised that taking apart the image given and starting with pinpointing the visual contrast used was a great way to start analysing the image. This method of analysis helped me hugely when looking at Dinner suit and Headdress by Horst P. Horst. The use of contrasting features as a way of generating visual interest was a key part of this image.

I will list some of the visual contrasts featured in the lecture below. This list shows the diverse ways in which a photographer can create visually interesting imagery simply by using contrasts.

• Linear vs Painterly- Often used in terms of painterly silhouette (natural human form), contrasted with an architectural location backdrop.
• Clean vs Busy- Minimalism combined with a highly busy image can create an interesting composition with focus on the space.
• Technical vs Organic- Similar to linear vs painterly but can be applied to industrial and natural forms, such as urban and rural.
• Type vs Image- Pretty self explanatory, an interesting layout can be formed by incorporating text with image (editorial).
• Large vs Small- Focussing on proportion creates an interesting composition.
• Colour vs Monochrome- Sometimes its nice to add in some b&w to urge the viewer to focus on the subject matter, often colour can be a distraction.
• Crisp vs Blurred- Creates a focal point for the viewer to notice, often the subject is crisp and the background is blurred. Alternatively, the background can be crisp and the subject can be blurred, raising mysterious vibes.
• Whole vs Partial- Cutting the image off from deliberate cropping, combined with a figure thats whole, again creates a different composition.
• Single vs Multiple- Similar to clean vs busy but more apparent in objects or models.
• Cold vs Hot- Tonal contrast with reds, oranges and yellows can contrast with blues and greys.
• Opaque vs Transparent- Creates a focal point, standing out to the viewer.

After learning about these different types of visual contrasts, it has helped me appreciate the creative thinking behind each fashion campaign or shoot. Every element of a campaign has been thought of in order to create the most diverse, visually interesting image to draw consumers in.

-Kirsty