Sequencing

As I near completion of the photo project I have been working on (probably 2-3 more weeks.  Now, if I could just get my printer to work right I could make the final prints.....but that is another story) I have found myself dealing with something that is totally new territory for me.  Sequencing. It sounds pretty simple, putting 40-45 prints in a sequence that has a logical flow, but it gets more involved than one might think.  I found certain 'threads' that tended to pull images together.  Three main ones, actually.  They were 1) subject matter (think similar locations, similar objects etc), 2) similar tonality (light, dark, color etc.), and 3) similar lines or shapes (this would not only include line and shape but, to some extent, perspective....wide angle images tend to have a certain similarity when viewed together compared to a wide angle and a telephoto shot...disparate focal lengths can, however, still work together if there is a stronger relationship among the images than the perspective).  I am sure there are many other threads as well, but these three seemed to exert the most pull among image groups for me.

Things come together perfectly when all three attributes are synergistic in a grouping.  But what if several images are pulled together by shape but conflict in tonality, if they are pulled together by subject but conflict in shape etc. It makes for some interesting variations in flow and, ultimately, the only way to decide is to try looking at various sequences and seeing what 'feels right' to you.  There are no absolute 'right' answers, of course.

One of the interesting thing about working on this large project is that it introduced me to aspects of artmaking that I really had never given much thought to before.  Turns out that these issues are definitely worth thinking about. I also gained some insight into concepts to consider before the next project!