SEVEN-DAY CHALLENGE ADD DESIGN TO YOUR PHOTOS

Can you shoot seven subjects around your own home and neighbourhood in the next seven days? See how you can bring a new feel to your images

Now that you’ve seen how design can transform your images, why not try bringing some design principles into the next few photos you take? Aim to shoot a designed image a day for the next week; look for subjects that offer potential for the design elements we outline here, then edit each image with the aim of bringing out that design principle.

You’ll note that all except one of these photos is in black and white. While it’s up to you whether you shoot in colour or mono, bear in mind that choosing black-and-white often helps to strip out a layer of unnecessary visual information, making it easier for you to edit the photo to bring out the design principle you want to present.

1 Contrast

Look for a light object against a dark background (or vice versa) and expose to bring out this difference.

2 Rhythm

Create a composition where a sense of rhythm is made through repeating, but not identical, elements.

3 Texture

Look for a subject that contains a variety of different textures, and expose to bring these out in the shot.

4 Scale and proportion

Look for a subject on a larger scale, then crop to create a simple frame with a stripped-back feel.

5 Pattern

Look for a subject with a strong sense of repetition and pattern, like this giant fern.

6 Shape

Find a composition where the arrangement creates a strong, simple shape within the frame.

7 Abstraction

Find a subject you can crop and transform into an abstract visual. (This was a café tabletop.)