Lesson video

Hi, I'm Miss Blue, and I'm really excited to be learning with you today.

I hope you find our lesson as interesting as I do.

Let's get started.

The outcome of this lesson is I can review the range of ways photographers have been inspired by natural forms in photography.

Let's go over our key words, natural forms, shapes, patterns and structures found in the natural world.

For example, shells, plants or bones.

Asymmetry, a lack of symmetry when two sides of something are identical but still balanced visually.

Let's start with a photography spotlight on natural forms. Why do you think that natural forms can be a popular subject in photography? Natural forms are often seen as beautiful, and this provides photographers with endless inspiration.

Photographers take different approaches to the way that they respond to natural forms using different techniques and interpretations of the theme.

Some themes and techniques photographers might use when exploring natural forms include inspiration from natural colours, textures and shapes, exploring asymmetry, beauty and nature, abstract interpretations of natural forms and symbolism and meaning.

Photographers featuring natural forms appear across cultures and history.

However, the natural forms chosen often vary and hold different meanings depending on the culture.

Can you think of any natural forms that might have a specific meaning? Pause the video while you have a think.

In different cultures, natural forms are associated with specific meanings.

For example, an apple in Christianity is a symbol of temptation, knowledge and sin.

The Koru, a spiral symbol in Maori culture, signifies new life, growth and peace.

In Chinese culture, a lion or shishi is a symbol of strength, bravery, good luck and protection.

In Mexico, marigolds are believed to guide the spirits of the deceased back to the living world.

The same natural form can hold nuanced alternative meanings for a range of cultures.

For example, the lotus flower is seen in ancient Egypt.

It symbolises rebirth and the sun.

The flower closes at night and reopens in the daylight.

Hinduism and Buddhism in India signifies purity, enlightenment, spiritual awakening.

In China, the lotus flower symbolises nobility, beauty and knowledge.

Let's have a look at river or water.

Water is a powerful symbol in Lakota art, reflecting its essential role in the Lakota culture and spirituality.

In Gurindji art, water represents life, connection to the land and cultural heritage.

In Japanese Shintoism, water is a symbol of purification and spiritual cleansing.

Let's decide if this statement is true or false.

Natural forms carry the same significance and meanings across all cultures and time periods.

Pause the video while you decide on your answer.

If you said false, you would be correct.

Why? Because natural forms have appeared in art and design across time and cultures often chosen for their varying and specific significance and symbolism within that culture.

Photographers exploring the symbolism of natural forms include Ali Shokri, who is known for his striking black and white images of trees, capturing their forms as symbols of life resilience, and the passage of time.

Mika Ninagawa, who is known for her bright, saturated colours and striking images of flowers that have a dreamlike quality.

The diversity of colours, textures, and shapes found in nature can lead to visually striking photographs.

Photographers can create works which examine natural forms in detail, such as through macro photography.

What natural form has inspired this work do you think? Pause the video while you decide.

Laura says, "I think this is a closeup shot of a leaf revealing its intricate vein system." Jun says, "The photographer has used macro photography to highlight the details and show a hidden world." Photographers can be inspired by a single specific element like the form, colour, or texture of a natural form in their work.

Izzy in the picture is using natural forms as a stimuli, experimenting with focus and zoom to capture the range of textures.

Photographers often document natural forms to bridge scientific and artistic disciplines.

Karl Blossfeldt documented plants and seed pods with scientific precision highlighting the architectural geometry and sculptural qualities of botanical forms. Anna Atkins pioneered botanical cyanotypes using camera-less printing to capture algae, ferns and other plant forms in deep blue monochrome.

Photographers inspired by the details of natural forms include Levon Biss, who specialises in macro photography of insects revealing their intricate textures, colours, and symmetries.

Nadia Culph who uses abstract closeup photography to transform organic details of plants and flowers into rhythmic patterns, focusing on texture, repetition, and form.

Robert Mapplethorpe, who creates high contrast black and white floral images treating natural forms like classical still life objects with symmetry and formal elegance.

Through camera less techniques like composition, Zoom, and lighting, specific features of natural forms can be highlighted and abstracted.

Think about this tree trunk zoomed out and that becomes more intricate when zoomed in.

How has this photograph taken inspiration from a natural form? Pause the video while you formulate your response.

Photographers creating abstracted and stylized works informed by natural forms include Andrea Bonfils, who works with underwater photography and resin to capture aqua plants, coral and marine textures, freezing natural movements into luminous, layered compositions.

Javier Estrada, who merges photography and mixed media to transform flowers, shells, and natural textures into surreal dreamlike landscapes.

Photographers can use natural forms to comment on important issues in society such as climate change.

This can be part of a social action project.

Photographers can use natural forms to address important issues in the world.

Let's have a look at some examples.

Sebastiao Salgado who captures monumental natural landscapes, wildlife and natural forms, often linking their beauty to narratives of environmental preservation.

Christina Mittermeier who focuses on marine life, coastal ecosystems and human interaction with natural habitats, framing organic forms as part of urgent conservation storytelling.

Subhankar Banerjee, he photographs the Arctic tundra and seasonal transformations using natural forms as visual evidence of climate change and indigenous rights advocacy.

Other themes and techniques artists might use are themes of decay and the ethereal, social action works and climate change, land art, trade, exploitation, and colonialism.

Highly accurate depictions of natural forms. Which of the following photographs is not likely to have been inspired by natural forms? Pause the video while you decide if it's A, B, C or D.

If you said B, you would be correct.

Clearly B is an image of plastic Lego and not a natural form occurring in nature.

Now, let's focus on this task.

Select two or three photographs or specific photographs and compare them.

Consider these questions.

In what ways are the photographs visually similar or different? Think about subject, composition, lighting, focus, exposure, colour, and style.

What themes, symbols, or ideas do the photographs explore? Are there any connections between them? Which techniques, processes, or creative choices in these photographs inspire you and how might you use them in your own work? Pause the video while you work on this task.

You may have said something like this.

Alex says, "Levon Biss examines insects through ultra high resolution macro photography to discover intricate details, whereas Nadia Culph focuses on plants and flowers to reveal patterns and textures of these natural forms." Izzy says, "Andrea Bonfils creates abstracted and sterilised images of underwater life through mixed media techniques while Christina Mittermeier uses the same subject to consider environmental conservation." Now, let's have a look at photographic deconstruction on natural forms. What is the first thing you notice about this photograph? Pause the video while you formulate a response.

Photographers use various techniques to communicate in their work.

Things like composition, focus, lighting and exposure, the elements of art like line, tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, and texture.

Digital photo manipulation tools or other camera techniques.

Imagery and subject.

We can deconstruct these techniques to understand the work more deeply.

Let's test your knowledge.

Which one of the following is not a common way photographers communicate in their work? Is it choosing A, subject or image that tells a story.

B, using techniques that support their message.

C, recording their personal life in a diary or D, using texture, colour, and shape to create a mood.

Pause the video while you decide on the correct answer.

If you said C, you would be correct.

Recording their personal life in a diary is not a common way photographers communicate in their work.

How are photography techniques used in this work? Pause the video where you come up with an answer.

You may have picked up on the contrast.

It's created diagonally through the lighting on the bottom right of the scene.

Shadows and lighting are used to focus and frame the image, allowing more visible detail in some areas such as the leaves closer to the camera.

Dew drops on the ferns suggest the time of day was considered by the photographer before taking the image.

The composition is centred on ferns without bearing the ground, sky, or horizon immersing us in the scene.

Natural forms often use flowing, asymmetrical elements that contrast with geometric rigidity, enabling dynamic compositions.

This asymmetrical image has been edited to explore symmetry.

Let's have a look.

You can see how the first image is asymmetrical.

The second shows one line of symmetry and the third shows two lines of symmetry.

What is the effect of symmetry in this natural form image? Pause the video while you come up with a response.

Why might some photographers manipulate asymmetry and symmetry in the natural forms images? Pause the video while you think of your own ideas.

Sofia says, "I could use asymmetry to move the viewer's eye across the composition." While Jacob says, "Symmetry can be used as a compositional device to create impact." Asymmetry can make a photo feel more natural as a lot of natural forms are not perfectly symmetrical.

Let's test your Knowledge, Which is the most likely reason photographers use asymmetry in their photos inspired by natural forms? Is it A, to confuse the viewer and hide the subject.

B, to follow strict mathematical rules in their composition.

C, to make the photo look perfect and mechanical or D, to reflect the irregular organic forms found in nature.

Pause the video while you decide in the correct answer.

If you said D, you'd be correct.

The most likely reason photographers use asymmetry in their photos inspired by natural forms is to reflect the irregular organic forms found in nature.

Your next task is to select one photograph and describe it.

Think about what you can see in the photograph like composition, focus, lighting, and exposure.

Think about the elements of art, like line, tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, and texture.

Digital photo manipulation tools or other camera techniques they might have used.

Imagery and subject.

How the photographer used these techniques to communicate with the audience.

You might record this as an idea shower around an image of the photo, write a paragraph, or create an audio or film recording of your ideas.

Pause the video while you work on this task.

You may have come up with something like this.

In this image, the photo shows an underwater coral reef, which cast reflections of the sun from the water's surface.

Textures from each coral creates visually interesting details.

Distant features are not in focus, drawing the eye towards the elements, which are closer to the viewer.

The composition is divided into two sections diagonally.

The colour palette is a balance of warm and cool hues, darker blue to purple, to yellow to orange.

Each person notices different elements in a photograph and interprets them with varied ideas.

The next slide shows an alternative way to understand this work.

Let's have a look.

This person has said there are some areas of bleached coral, which suggests this could highlight the ecological impact of human activity on marine life.

There is a limited range of natural forms being shown.

Contrast is shown through the colours displayed from darker blue to brown, to yellow to purple.

Lighting is imbalanced in areas outta focus, making it hard to view all the natural forms. The negative space in the composition invites the viewer to consider what is beyond the frame.

Finally, let's look at personal connection in photography, focusing on natural forms. How can looking at another photographer's work help us develop our own work? You can see how a student has looked at this painting on the wall and used it as inspiration to form her own photography composition.

Andeep says, "Photos of similar themes can develop my ideas more than techniques or imagery." Sam says, "I'll look at techniques and processes used in photography and try to apply this to my theme." Photography that has similar imagery or natural forms will be helpful even if theme is different." Do you agree with Sam and Andeep? Let's test your knowledge.

When looking at a photo for inspiration, which of the following is a useful way to respond to it? Is it A to ignore the meaning and just choose random parts to copy? B, only pay attention to the colours and nothing else.

C, take ideas from the theme technique, imagery, or a mix of them, or D, try to copy the whole image exactly as it looks.

Pause the video while you decide on the correct answer.

If you said C, you would be correct.

When looking at a photo for inspiration, a useful way to respond is to take ideas from the theme, technique, imagery, or a mix of them.

There are a number of things which can cause us to have a personal connection to a photograph, such as the techniques used or themes explored.

We can identify and interpret how natural forms create deeper meanings in a photo.

To examine our personal connection to the themes of the work.

We can often find links to our own themes through looking carefully at the works.

What meanings do you interpret from the natural forms represented in this work? Pause the video while you formulate your response.

Lucas says, "This work inspires my theme of Hidden Worlds.

The colour palette is vibrant and the exposure creates depth." Laura says, "My theme is religion.

I could use natural forms which relate to narratives in different faiths and depictions of paradise." Aisha says, "I wanted to look at natural forms from my grandparents' garden as part of my theme of Memory." Can you think of any other thematic interpretations? Pause the video while you come up with some ideas.

Your final task is to select one photograph and consider your personal connection to it.

What themes, symbols, or ideas does this photo explore? Are there any symbols, imagery, or connections that help create a narrative or show meaning? Which techniques, processes, or creative decisions in this photo inspire you and how might you use them in your own work? You might record this as an idea shower around an image of the photo, write a paragraph or create an audio or film recording of your ideas.

Pause the video while you work on this task.

You may have said, "This Links clearly with my theme of time, as the succulent plant is gradually opening with new leaves into an asymmetrical form.

I like how this makes me think about the idea of time revealing paths and directions in life.

I want to explore this idea in my work and will take photos and natural forms in different lighting and exposures.

I could experiment with shutter speeds and timelapses to create a composition like this one before developing a mixed media photographic series or animated short film." In response to this photo, this person has said, "My theme is exploration and adventure.

This photograph reminds me of the sense of wonder and adventure I get from exploring new places.

The tree canopy reveals the light from the sky and the colours contrast with the warm sunset hues.

I'm also drawn to how this composition creates perspective framed by the trees.

This creates space and distance and makes the image feel more complete.

I'll think about angles, framing, and experimental compositions for my own photos of natural forms." To summarise, natural forms are often seen as beautiful, and this provides photographers with endless inspiration.

Photographers featuring natural forms appear across culture and history, often with each culture assigning its own meanings to forms. The diversity of colours, textures, and shapes found in nature can lead to visually striking photographs.

Photographers can create works which replicate natural forms or abstract natural form imagery.

Photographers can use natural forms to comment on important issues in society, such as climate change.

Natural forms are often flowing, asymmetrical elements that contrast geometric rigidity enabling dynamic compositions.

Thank you so much for listening and paying attention in this lesson.

See you next time.