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Patterns in Photography and the Gestalt Theories

Have you ever looked at a photograph and thought, “There is something not right” about it?  Maybe the subject looked like it was placed in the wrong spot, or there were odd items in the photo that looked like they didn’t belong.  You may have been experiencing a psychological concept called the Gestalt Theory.  This is a psychological concept that pertains to photography. Psychologists who promote the Gestalt theory emphasize that people see entire patterns or configurations.  The adage “the whole is more than the sum of its parts” is a good description of what it is about.  What are the Gestalt Theories and how do they pertain to photography? Continue reading