In a recent blog post, I talked about “The Law of Common Fate,” and how this concept in the Psychology of Gestalt can help take our imagery “up a notch”.
I talked about having two or more people moving in the same direction to create a directional line. Together they have a common destiny, and this destiny is what makes the viewer become an active participant by having him wonder where they’re going. These directional lines can be shapes as well as organic forms.
Another important concept in The law of Common Fate is when the viewer sees a group of arrows or hands raised in the air, and one of the arrows or hands is pointing in the opposite direction. This creates Tension because the viewer doesn’t associate it with the whole.
Because Tension is so important in our photography, I use people in the same way as I would have one arrow or one hand pointing in a direction that’s different than the rest of the arrows or hands in the same photograph. By the way, I’ll usually have my subject looking directly into the camera. The reason I do this is because Line is probably the most important of all the elements of visual design, and the implied line between the subjects eyes and the lens is very powerful.
The following slideshow gives you an example of The law of Common Fate by using people to create Tension in your photography.
Check out my website at: www.joebaraban.com and come shoot with me sometime.
JoeB
