Geometric photography is the art of finding and harnessing the world’s geometry through imagery. We use our cameras to turn our geometrical surroundings into powerful and dynamic images.
Lead With Lines
Once you start looking, you’ll find lines everywhere. Bold, thin, wavy, or sharp—there are countless types of lines. And you can use them to strengthen your composition in geometric photography.
The geometry of lines helps us visualize our surroundings. They define space, momentum, and emphasis. Lines delineate both conceptual and physical designs. They provide a scaffold for ideas and experiences.
Repeat Yourself
Repetition involves repeating a subject many times for greater impact within an image. You can find geometric shapes that repeat to create patterns throughout your images. With each repetition, the geometry in the image is emphasized. It gives your geometric photography rhythm and structure. The shapes become part of the narrative of your photograph.
Suggest Symmetry
Symmetry is the visual balance of one or more subjects within a composition. It occurs both naturally and artificially. It is often tied to the geometric properties of a photograph. Symmetry visually and psychologically pleasing to encounter. And it adds an even flow to a photograph.
An image doesn’t need to be perfect to achieve the impression of symmetry. You can find symmetry by using reflections in glass or water. Or you can look for similar geometric shapes in your compositions.
Use Color
Color can liven up a geometric image, snagging the viewer’s eye. But color also can work on a deeper, more psychological level. Colors are linked to emotional experiences. Different colors hold specific meanings for different people. While red shows passion, blue denotes calmness. You introduce a new layer of experience to geometric photography by incorporating color.
Bringing color theory into your work adds depth and meaning to your geometric photography. You can use different color patterns to give your images a more substantial emotional feel as Turkish photographer Yener Torun displays in the image below.
Try Black and White
Black and white can’t rely on color to get attention. It depends on shape and form. The contrast of black and white helps create dynamic shapes and lines.
You don’t have blocks of color. But you can find strong shapes made from black and white. And you can also look for contrasting shades of grey.
Black and white photography is about finding light and dark areas. Look for the regions where light meets dark. The light beams and shadows create a world of shape that surrounds you.
Go Textural
Texture defines the way an image feels. It allows the viewer to connect with a photograph on a physical level. Rough, smooth, wrinkly, or slippery—most subjects are made from textural qualities.
Geometric subjects operate on many textural levels. Polished metallic surfaces give an impression of smoothness and modernity. Weather-worn geometric architecture can feel rough and old. You can almost feel the rough texture of old bricks.