Contrasting scales
Scale also relates to the size of one part of an artwork in relation to another. Artists can choose to compose an image with contrasting scales to create tension or drama.
In Under the Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai (1830-32), scale has been used to demonstrate the awesome power of nature.
The giant wave fills the height of the frame. It towers over the image of Mount Fuji, which appears in a much smaller scale due to perspective. The power of nature is emphasised by the small human figures in the boats that the wave is about to crash down on.
The artist's use of scale within this image emphasises the lack of control the powerless boatmen have over nature.
A similar contrast of scale between nature and the man-made is shown in this photograph of a dust storm approaching a town.
There are no specific human figures but the scale of the houses, street and tree create an effective contrast with the giant wall created by the dust cloud.
This photograph shows workers in the shipyards of Belfast standing next to the giant propellers of the Titanic just before it was launched.
The photographer has chosen to capture the contrasting scale of the men and the propellers to emphasise the enormous size of the Titanic itself.
Even though we can't see the rest of the ship, we are able to picture its scale due to the reference point of the men standing next to its massive propellers.