Narrow / broad
The narrowness is emphasised by the height and shape of the arch and the fact that the bend makes it come to a point and disappear quickly. The couple appearing to take up most of the breadth adds to the sense of narrowness. I used portrait format to further emphasise the narrowness.
The broad foreground of the fountain emphasised by the landscape format increases the contrast with the arch.
Another possibility. Again, the breadth is emphasised by having the wall of the fountain take up all of the landscape format. In this image, the fountain does not taper so much and the large building to which it leads the eye maintains the the sense of a wide 'avenue'.
Rough / smooth
The dead tree trunk had tremendous texture in the bark and the wood underneath it. I tried to bring the roughness out by photographing it with light coming from the side.
Two nearby Henry Moore sculptures had broadly similar shapes with a hole in the middle. The contrast of the smooth with the rough is emphasised by the shiny metallic surface and the highlights. The first probably provides the best comparison, being more similar in shape and having a greater surface area.
Straight / curved
Using flash outdoors to capture images of Autumn leaves very nicely captured the colour, shape and right-angled geometry of this leaf.
The same technique created this weird, monster-like image characterised by entangled curves rather than straight lines.
Straight / curved (b)
On a recent holiday I noticed another possibility for demonstrating a contrast between straight and curved.
The straight lines of the aloe vera plants contrast with the patterns made by the curved low level walls built to protect vines from the wind,
Firm / flaccid (or vibrant, alive / dull, dead)
This is not explicitly one of the contrasts required for the exercise, but when I saw it in a flower garden, I thought it was worth a try.
This is not the kind of flower photograph that is normally taken, yet it has as much impact for me as the full bloom with which it shared a bed.
Rounded / pointed
Flash enhanced the colour, shape and texture of these small but beautiful fungi on the base of a dead tree. Their rounded shape lends itself to comparison with many other autumn and winter shapes.
There is some similarity in the colour of these dying leaves in strong autumn sunshine, but the shape provides a strong contrast.
The image above is very similar to one I use in another comparison, so I have included this alternative. Not only is there contrast in the sharp thorns and jagged, straight edges of the leaves, but also in the lack of vibrance in the colour of the dying leaves.
Pointed / blunt
This is another interpretation of a similar contrast to the one above. I have short-listed to two pairs. The first are shots of creatures with very different shaped faces, and this is very much emphasised in the close-up images. On the same day, I was able to take shots of the creatures 'interacting' with their handlers and, although the shots do not add greater emphasis to the contrast, I think they are generally more interesting.
I was trying to go beyond a straight record shot of a horse's face and this one of the horse eating grass by its foot seemed to provide a good opportunity. On reflection, I'm not sure whether the largely white foot isn't too much of a distraction, but the rounded shape of the grass-eating mouth is clear, in stark contrast to that of the bird of prey in the next image.
The sharp meat-tearing beak is strongly emphasised in this image and it is further strengthened by the lighting and the bright eye. The slightly 'blown' white area on the forehead is a distraction and it would be better if the background was a uniform colour.
"Why the long face?" I just liked the image of shared misery, even if the contrast isn't quite so stark.
And I seem to have caught these two sharing a sad moment as well.
And, more recently, I found the following example of a fairly 'blunt' nose which would contrast markedly worth the bird of prey;
When it came to reviewing these images before making a final selection, I wasn't really happy with any of the above images, so I went back to the file of images from the agricultural show where I photographed the horse and the birds of prey. I decided there was a better shot of the horse, but I also found a set I took of Bedlington terriers, which provide a much better contrast with the sharp beak. I also found a shot of the same bird with less intense sunlight on its feathers, so there were no over-exposed areas.
Many / few
This image of silver birches growing in a former quarry could also be used to represent 'straight' in a comparison with 'curved'. The image of straightness and crowdedness is enhanced by the low winter sun and the dark sky in the background.
If I decide to use the silver birches for 'straight' this will be the contrasting 'curvy' image; older oak trees growing near the silver birches on land that wasn't quarried. Their twisting and turning trunks and branches, partly covered in moss and the mossy boulders on the ground provide a slightly eery atmosphere. Again, this is helped by strong sun combined with a dark sky. Another contrast between the two pictures could be along the lines of 'order / disorder'.
If I stick with the many / few comparison, this image will provide a good contrast with the crowded copse of silver birches. The sense of isolation is increased by the misty weather.
This tree could also fit the bill with its isolation emphasised by its black-and-white starkness and the obvious lack of any feature between it and Bolsover Castle in the distance.
Many / few (b)
I recently found another image to go with the one of the three autumn leaves in the sunshine to illustrate the contrast between many and few:
Weak / strong
This image was taken with off-camera flash at night, with the power and position of the flash arranged to ensure a completely black background. This is intended to highlight the web, particularly it's thinness. It's weakness is seen in the gaps and breaks.
Standing underneath an electricity pylon and looking straight up provides an image similar to a spider's web. However, the strands are firm, metallic, thick and unbroken, presenting an image of strength in contrast to the web's relative fragility.
This detail from a fairground ferris wheel provides another possibility for a contrast with the apparent weakness of the spider's web. The overall shape is similar and there is a neat - ish parallel with a creature being present too. The contrast in apparent strength is clear and there is also a striking contrast between the colour of the fairground ride and the monochrome appearance of the spider's web and, indeed, the pylon.
Solid / liquid
Both the subjects are 'behind bars' in these images, however, their different expressions enhances the contrast between the liquid 'bars' and the iron bars.
Heavy / light
The heaviness of the old irons is emphasised by their hard metallic structure and the fact they are firmly planted on their wide, solid bases. In contrast, the lightness of the leaves is seen in their fragile, almost translucent, structure and the fact that they are hanging from slim stems. Their lightness is enhanced by the strong sunlight, enabling their internal structures to be seen.
Moving / still
The frenetic movement in the hen is seen in the position of the head, the slightly 'manic' look in the eye and the arrangement of the feathers on the neck. The blurring of the background also adds to the sense of rapid movement. The man, in contrast, is obviously still and contemplative. The tight crop on the man's head is to emphasise the facial expression and craggy features, while removing a fairly large expanse of distracting, shiny bald head.
Large / small in one image
I have taken experimental shots of people dwarfed by very large monuments; Gormley's Angel of the North at Gateshead and Borofsky's giant statues at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
In the first of the images of the Angel of the North, I used an ultra-wide lens on 10mm focal length, which bent the angel's wings and increased the sense of her towering over the people and appearing to 'threaten' or perhaps 'protect' them. The second image was taken with the lens at 17mm so there is less distortion. Having only one figure in the fairly statue like pose of a photographer draws the eye to the difference in size of the two main subjects.
The child was fascinated by the towering figures and his pose in either of the first two pictures is interesting and emphasises the large / small contrast. I was concerned that the child was too small to the extent that the impact of the contrast was being lost, so I tried cropping the picture into landscape format, showing only the giant's legs. The first image, with the child more in the foreground is probably the best of the three.
One image showing two contrasts: black and white; rough and smooth.
I found this image recently in Lanzarote where very rough volcanic stone is often used to build walls butting up to walls that are rendered and painted white. This in itself provides a stark contrast between black and white and, also, rough and smooth. In this case the contrast is extended by the graffiti and the shadows of the palm leaves to provide a more interesting composition.
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