Everyday Geometry: Finding Shapes That Tell a Story

A small geometry lesson for your camera

Shapes are the quiet grammar of scenes. Rectangles, circles, triangles — they don’t need explanation to be meaningful; they simply hold attention and suggest relationships. If you train your eye to read those shapes first, everything else becomes a story you can photograph.

Why shapes matter more than you think

When you glance at a scene your brain is already organizing it by edges and silhouettes. A round lamp, a triangular roofline, a rectangle of sunlight on a floor — these elements are fast-acting signposts that tell viewers where to look and how to feel. Shapes can imply stability (squares), motion (diagonals), intimacy (circles), and tension (contrasting angles). The trick is not to force geometry onto the world but to notice it and use it to guide composition.

Three practical ways to use shapes

1. Anchor with one dominant shape. Pick the strongest shape in the scene and make it your visual anchor. Frame the shot so that shape occupies a clear, deliberate space — not necessarily the center, but definitely a place that communicates purpose.
2. Layer shapes for depth. Stack different shapes at different distances: a round bokeh in the foreground, a rectangular doorway mid-frame, and triangular rooftops in the back. The eye will move through the layers and sense depth.
3. Contrast shapes to create tension. A soft circle against a sharp triangle feels different from repeating circles. Look for contrasts in curvature and angle; they produce visual interest without adding more objects.

A short walk exercise (20 minutes)

Take a short walk with the goal of finding one clear geometric motif per stop. Set a timer for 4 stops, 5 minutes each. At each stop:

• Identify the strongest shape in the environment.
• Shoot three frames: a wide view that shows context, a medium frame that uses the shape as anchor, and a close crop that abstracts the shape.
• Try one intentional exposure variation: underexpose by a stop or overexpose by a stop to see how shape reads under different tonal values.

Camera settings cheat-sheet

When your goal is reading shape, keep your settings simple. Depth of field is a tool for separating layers, while shutter speed controls whether shapes stay crisp or melt into motion. A quick, reliable starting point:

ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/250s

This gives moderate depth of field and a fast enough shutter for handheld walking shots. If you want more background blur to isolate a shape, open up to f/2.8 or lower. For architecture and static scenes, stop down to f/8–f/11 for the sharpest lines.

Composing with shape — quick checklist

• Is there one shape that reads clearly at first glance?
• Do foreground, middle ground, and background each contain different shapes?
• Are shapes overlapping in a way that creates depth, or are they flattened?
• Would a tighter crop emphasize the geometry and remove distractions?

Editing: emphasize, don’t invent

In post, the goal is to lift the geometry you found, not to build it artificially. Cropping is the most powerful tool — trim away noisy edges and let the shape breathe. Contrast and clarity can make edges snap, while selectively darkening backgrounds can help a shape pop. Don’t overdo structure sliders; they can make shapes look harsh and lose the subtlety that made them interesting in the first place.

A quick annotated example (a morning coffee scene)

Imagine a small table by a window. The scene contains several shapes: a round cup, a rectangular patch of sunlight, and a diagonal cast shadow from the blinds. You can approach it three ways:

1. Context shot: include the table, chair, window. Let the rectangle of light place the cup within its environment.
2. Anchor shot: frame so the round cup sits squarely inside the rectangle of light. The contrast of circle and rectangle creates a calm, focused image.
3. Abstract crop: tightly crop just the rim of the cup and the edge of the shadow, turning the scene into pure shapes and texture.

Each frame tells a slightly different version of the same morning ritual. None needs extra props; the shapes are the props.

When rules help — then don’t

Rules like the rule of thirds or leading lines are useful starting points, but shapes often override grid-based composition. If a dominant shape sits in the center and it feels right — let it be central. Photography’s job is to communicate, not to obey. Your eye will tell you when a centered circle feels intentional and when it feels lazy.

Finish with a small project

For the week: commit to photographing one shape per day and post the results as a mini-series. Add a one-line caption that names the shape and where you found it — “circle, bakery window” — then review the batch at the end of the week. You’ll notice how your eye begins to prioritize certain geometries and how context changes the meaning of a shape.

Photography trains attention by giving the world a vocabulary. Learn the vocabulary of shape and you’ll always have a way to say something.

If you try the 20-minute walk or the week-long shape project, send a link or a note — I love seeing how everyday geometry looks in different cities, kitchens, and pockets of light. Waffle.Pics Journal is a place for small practices that add up. Today’s practice: look for the circle that’s trying to steal the frame.