Three Times Over

One of the common elements in the Accidental History exhibit at the History Museum was a set of photos that relied on three objects to help communicate the story.

Three is a magic number. It’s the first prime beyond one. In fact, I consider three to be the first number. One, by itself, has no significance. It’s alone, impossible to study as it is singular and unconnected to anything else.

“One is the loneliest number you'll ever do,” might be just a Harry Nillson lyric but it points out the futility of significant storytelling with only one subject.

“Ah. What about two?” you ask. Two is nothing more than another one looking for companionship. It’s as if one is looking in a mirror and only sees itself. There’s no future in that. One becomes a narcissist.

But add another one and the world expands. There’s more to look at than just yourself. No longer just two points on a line, one dimension of scale. Now there are three points on the line and the line can now begin to see itself in a completely different way. Even within being a single-dimensional figure, three points can now connect in ways impossible with just two points.

That’s why I like three objects sharing the space within my photos. The composition is more dynamic, no longer a simple rendering of a moment. It now has depth and connectivity across the frame. The three objects create movement like grabbing one corner of a triangle and moving it. The triangle remains but the significance of the objects remains connected although one may be more prominent than the others. Each stabilizes the other providing an anchor for the movement.

It’s great to be anchored so I added a little something to hold the edges, to be framing devices around the three subjects.

The truth about the three objects is they can be anything in the frame. Foreground, middle ground, and background can be the three. A large object with two smaller objects can be the three. Varied colors or tones can build the three. See there? I just had three examples.

Find ways to employ three objects to become subjects to make dynamic photos.

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