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© Lloyd Godman

Figure Ground Investigation

Try photographing -

a mid toned opaque object against a white background

a mid toned opaque object against a black background

a mid toned opaque object against a textured background

 

look at the differences in the images - how do you read them

 

Try each of these back grounds with a transparent object like a glass or clear bottle

figure ground

In this image from the Body Symbols series - the illusion of the silhouette of the hills is created by reversing the figure ground relationship - the background is weighted to the bottom while the human body visually alludes to the sky.

 

 

Look to create an image where the figure and ground are reversed - where the background becomes the object and the object the ground.

 

You will need to pay attention to the exposure for each experiment and may need to use a grey card.

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