I am working through Kim Manley Ort’s Photo by Design online course again. I had a delay in getting started, but I am catching up. In the first week, we looked at the effects of light and shadow in our photographs, and I found myself paying more attention to the quality of the light. I found that, as I paid more attention to the light around me, I was better able to set white balance both in the camera and during post processing.

Last week, we focused on lines. This is probably the most challenging for me. I see lines; however, I have trouble capturing the lines in ways that express my intentions.

This week, the emphasis is on shapes. And this is where I found myself really enjoying the lessons. I first began looking through my archives to see if there are any patterns that I could readily identify. Two weeks ago, I received this image of a morning glory. The first thing I noticed was the heart-shaped leaves, which also are triangular. The placement of the leaves around the blossom also create a triangular frame for the flower itself.

Then this morning, while I walked through Dreher Island State Park, I found additional examples of shapes, lines, and light. As I looked for images, patterns of three and five, triangles, hearts, and spirals appeared everywhere in nature.

Photography by design is not just about the designs we see in the subjects, but it’s also about how we design the image. One of the problems of walking through a state park that is an island is that sometimes, it’s hard to get close to the subject without stepping in the water. But I gave it my best shot!

I have no idea what this shrub is, but I love the orange flowers.

The petals are somewhat circular and curved; the stems are lines that bring the eye to the flower. The flowers also form lines that draw the eye down the photograph.