Composition - Horizon Variations & the Golden Section

Exercise 1

Point Placement

The first exercise we did was to use the Principle of Unequal Spacing to put points on a piece of paper that were not equally distant from any edge as well as not equally distant from each other. This principle allows the viewer to look at things in a new way. It makes a composition more aesthetically pleasing.

Exercise 2

Horizon Variations

The division of space can make a picture more eye catching to a viewer. To give a picture more visual interest, do not place the horizon line of a picture in the center.

In this original picture there is a lot going on and there is no clear focus.

I used Photoshop to crop the picture and place the horizon line close to the top of the picture. This draws the viewers attention to the road conveying a sense of a long journey or wide space and not just a lot of action.

This second picture also has no clear focus. There is a lot of sky and road in the picture. The horizon is almost dead center.

Again, using Photoshop and cropping the picture so that the horizon is towards the bottom of the picture allows the focus to be on the skyline and the open space.

Exercise 3Golden Section

"The Golden Section is an aesthetically pleasing division of space that is often used by

artists as the basis for measurements within their compositions" -Krause, pg 34

The Golden Section is another way to look at placement in a composition. In order to use this rule in future compositions we created a Golden Section Ruler. The ruler is 13" long and has been divided into two sections, one that is 8" and one that is 5". The ruler was created in Photoshop so that it can be added to a layer in new compositions to help with placement of images.

Google Earth & Geospatial Projects Event

Mapping Historical Resources, Harrisonburg, VA - Kevin Borg

Dr. Borg presented his work on using Google Earth to create a learning tool by using historical maps and current satellite imagery of Harrisonburg. He started his presentation by sending around a map of a section of Harrisonburg. This representational visual was used to show the audience the starting point of his work. Dr. Borg then told how he and his students scanned in microfilm of over 100 maps from 1912 made by the Sanborn Map Company. He used Photoshop and GIS, a new term to me, to create a larger map and incorporate data about the maps and points on the maps. He used rubber stamping, another new term, to match up the 1912 maps with points on the current maps. Google Earth Pro was then used to create the current visual we saw in the presentation. Google Earth Pro was used to overlay the maps correctly and incorporate the data found using GIS. The new map, an excellent representation of Harriosnburg then and now, was then able to fade in and out from the 1912 version to the new version enabling audiences to see the differences in the city of Harrisonburg. The computer and projector used to display the visuals may have affected them due to the resolution and outside light.

The maps that Dr. Borg has created can be used by many people. He created it for use in his Public History course, but historians could use the work, people doing genealogical studies could use the work, or anyone curious about a building in Harrisonburg could use the maps. The maps are a wonderful resource for anyone and have the ability to change a person's perception and understanding of the city.

Interactive Geologic Maps of Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley Region - Steve Whitmeyer

Dr. Whitmeyer's presentation was on his work using Google Earth to map the Shenandoah Valley region geologically. He presented many different representational visuals including surface maps, cross sections, and even pictures using Google Earth online. The visuals were created using Google Earth Pro. The visuals assume some understanding of rock types and geological terms. They were projected using a computer and projector and were probably not as clear as they could have been due to the resolution and outside light.

The goal of Dr. Whitmeyer's work is to create interactive, informative, 3-D maps for use by geologists, geographers, industries, builders, contractors, students, or anyone curious about the make-up of the earth beneath us. Eventually they hope to link all kinds of environmental and geological data to the map, enabling the viewer to click on a place or rock type and find out more information about that area.