Photographic Composition A Visual Guide Jungbauer Westerwald, 1914 August Sander Similarity and Proximity: three young german farmers in similar dark suits and white shirts stand posed, looking directly at the camera and photographer. the distance (proximity) between the man on the left and the two on the right is essential for the arrangement. it can be thought of as an interval, providing a more interesting composition than if all three were grouped without the interval. Although the men are dressed alike, they are dissimilar in how they present themselves. the two men on the right have a similar pose, but the one at the left does not. the dis- similarity keeps the composition from being static. His hat and cane are tilted, a cigarette dangles from his mouth and his expression is a bit different. similarity, dissimilarity, proximity, and interval all work together in this outstanding photograph. Mozart said at one point, that he wasn't so much interested in notes as the space between them. Harley Parker 160