Exercises using Composition, Horizon Variations, and Golden Section

The first exercise completed in class was with a sheet of paper with grids on it. We folded the sheet in half and began to draw four different types of rectangles on half the sheet. Next came the placement of dots. We were to place two to five dots in unequal positions throughout each rectangle to learn about point placements. Point placements are particularly important to take notice to as all visuals should be pleasing to the eye.

The second exercise concentrated on different types of horizons. We took the original image and used the cropping tool in photoshop to change where the horizon would be set on the screen. Changing the horizon can create a totally new and different view of the image.

Below is the image of the original picture. It is evident that this picture is not pleasing to the eye. The only aspect that may be worth mentioning is the clouds. Everything else is random and makes the picture seem too busy.

Below is the image that I created using the cropping tool. I have taken out most of the sky to put more emphasis on the road. I also took off some space from both the right and left side of the picture to eliminate some of the chaos. 

Below is the second original image. This image has a bit more eye pleasing qualities because it is not as busy, but still has some weaknesses. The horizon in this photo is almost in the dead center of the page, which therefore sets no specific area to focus on. 

Below is my edited version. I have eliminated some of the road on the bottom half of the image. Eliminating some of the road will make for a lower horizon to emphasize the sky. I found the streelights to be particularly interesting and purposefully left them in the photo because I think that it adds a symmetrical feeling which makes the image more interesting to look at. I did, however, take off some of the side buildings to minimize distractions in the photo. 

The last exercise incorporated the golden section. The purpose of the golden section is to create "an aesthetically pleasing division of space that is often used by artists as the basis for measurements within their compositions" - Krause. The image below is a golden section ruler in which we used PowerPoint to experiment with colors, lines, and spacing that would be pleasing to the eye in compositions. 

Google Earth and Geospatial Projects on the Shenandoah Valley

The first presenter was Kevin Borg of the History Department at JMU:

Borg's main theme was Mapping Historical Resources. The type of visuals used in Borg's presentation would be characterized as representational. His images conveyed information through likeness to the object. Borg passed around a blue print design to give the audience a direct feel for the visual. The visuals came from a combination of both google earth imaging as well as the Sand board map company. The purpose of the visuals was to provide examples and information on the uses of google earth software. Borg specifically focused on the use of google earth and the geographical history of Harrisonburg. Although the visuals were most likely intended for geologic undergraduate and graduate students at JMU, I was still able to understand his goal in using google earth as a learning technique. The viewpoints used in the visuals were mostly a birds-eye-view from the standpoint of geologists. The visuals were accurate representations because the images represented a true map that is easily identifiable to the human eye. I learned that google earth can also be used as a research device to uncover historic maps that are still used today. The blueprint drawing visuals helped to understand the concept of change for virtual maps. Borg mentioned several software programs used to complete the google earth images which included, photoshop, rubber sheeting, google earth pro, png files, and geotiffs files.

The second presenter was Steve Whitmeyer who is a professor of Geology and Environmental Science:

Whitmeyer focused on Interactive Geologic Maps of Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley Region. All of his visuals can be characterized as representational. Whitmeyer compiled a group of images from google earth. The purpose of Whitmeyer's visuals was to help the audience learn the geologic map for the state of Virginia. His visuals emphasized the different regions of Virginia, including the different rock types and how old the rocks in each region are characterized. The intended audience is more general than Borg's audience. Whitmeyer's presentation was geared to educating a general public on how to use google earth in day-to-day examples. He used the example of the new JMU athletic fields being built on Port Republic Road. JMU had to consult a geologist who then used google earth to investigate what type of land JMU wished to build on. The viewpoints would again be based on a geologic viewpoint or possibly a first time user of google earth. The visuals are an accurate representation of the different rock types and sections that Virginia is made up of. Viewing the visuals helped me to learn more about the different regions of Virginia and the importance of gaining knowledge for different land types. The equipment used to show Whitmeyer's visuals was an Epson projector via a computer monitor and screen. The presenters seemed to have chosen the correct settings on the projector and screen to provide an adequate resolution for the image.