APPENDIX 2

Morphics

Self Portrait

David A. Page

Self Portrait

Vicki H. Wilson

ANAMORPHIC

This anamorphic image is a straight photograph and has not had any after-capture manipulation. The distorted figures are reflected off of a highly polished chrome car bumper. The curvature of the bumper distorts the background scene and the pedestrians walking by. Notice the extremely long, flat foot and disproportionately short legs on the central figure. A bolt cover attached to the bumper repeats the reflection with greater angle of view and distortion due to its convex shape. Reflective surfaces can provide interesting compositions based on the degree to which they distort, but they can be tricky to photograph, especially if the photographer does not wish to be included in the composition. Chrome is an ideal surface because it reflects true color. Most other reflective surfaces have some degree of innate color that adds a colorcast to whatever it reflects. Although the human eye may not always discern a color change, the camera’s sensor or film will.

An anamorphic image is one that is distorted and has to be reformed to be seen properly. Anamorphic images make interesting compositions because they invariably make the viewer question the circumstances by which the photograph was made.

Self Portrait

Richard D. Zakia

ANTHROPOMORPHIC

An anthropomorphic image is one in which objects such as tree trunks, rocks, and the like suggest human characteristics—usually the face. This somewhat triangular stone with its circular “eyes” and wide “mouth” was found washed up on a beach partially buried in the sand after a storm. It can easily be seen as a face and the skin-like coloration adds to the identity. The photograph on page 253 is also an anthropomorphic image.

Old Man

David A. Page

Whenever we look at something, we often do not see everything within our field of view, even when the field is small as in a photograph. We select what we want to see. The rest is just background. Such was the case when the photographer was looking at a colorful cliff in Zion Canyon National Park. As he looked at the cliff, something caught his eye, but he did not know what it was. Then, as he studied the side of the cliff, a face of an old man with his tongue sticking out pulled away from the background and became a figure. Often you don’t see an embedded image. Then, in a flash, you see it and from then on you can’t avoid seeing it.

Early Kilroy

William Scanlon

Here is another case in which the photographer was attracted to the colorful side of a canyon wall. Something caught his eyes and as he studied the scene, a face of Kilroy with his long nose popped out. It is in the center of the photo, just above the middle portion. Above each eye, one can see a patch of red—probably the result of reddish iron oxide leaching out of the sandstone rock. The surface colors are commonly known as “desert varnish.” The photo was taken in Utah, in Capitol Reef National Park.

Organic Shapes

Richard D. Zakia

BIOMORPHIC

Patterns, shapes, and forms that resemble organic living things can be thought of as being biomorphic—from the Greek words: bio, meaning life, and morphe, meaning form. The photograph here has curvilinear shapes and appears organic and fluid. There are no vertical or horizontal lines—no sharp edges or angles. The shapes can take on any color or texture. In this photograph, the colors are muted and the actual subject was an oil slick after a rain. Such forms can call attention to the beauty of the natural world. In architecture, the unique buildings in Barcelona, Spain, by Antonio Gaudi (page 264) take on organic forms, as do the many sculptures of Henry Moore.

Maine

Robert Walch

ISOMORPHIC

Objects and things that have a form similar to something else are said to be isomorphic—having the same or equal form. In this photograph simply titled Maine, we might assume that we are looking at waves of water splashing against some rocks but we cannot be certain. It also looks like it might be a photograph of flames of fire emanating from the black coal in the foreground and swirling about some dark objects. In any case, the visual ambiguity provides for a challenging look. One can also see near the bottom center of the photograph two dark “eyes” opposite each other, a caricature of a face that provides an eerie feeling.

We can also think of isomorphic as an example of the Gestalt tenant of similarity—things that are similar tend to be seen as related. From a rhetorical point of view, such objects can be seen as a simile—they look like something else, or even as metaphor—having one thing represent another, such as water representing fire.

Hooded Tree Spirit

Carl Chiarenza

THERIOMORPHIC

When this photograph was on display at a local gallery, some people would only glance at it and then briskly walk away. A few commented later that it was a scary image. Theriomorphic images, such as this one, represent beastly characters and have been with us throughout history—gargoyles, which were designed to scare away evil spirits, being but one example.

Irish Elephant

Richard D. Zakia

ZOOMORPHIC

Where is the elephant? If one looks in the upper-righthand corner of this photograph and uses a little imagination, the trunk of an elephant can be seen. Once seen and accepted, the entire elephant emerges from the surrounding green grass. The photographer did not notice the potential shape of an elephant when he took the photo. It was only when he looked at the photo on his computer screen that he recognized the rock elephant. His interest in taking the photo, at a conscious level, was to capture the beauty of the area—the lovely green grass, the outcropping of small white flowers, and the interesting shapes of the embedded gray rocks. Images such as this that resemble animals are said to be zoomorphic (pronounced “zoh-morphic”).