Good Composition - Balancing Elements
As if I did not have enough compositional balls to keep up in the air, I discovered a new one sometime last year. Or, at least, something I probably understood intuitively finally got a name. I found it when reading the book, “Photographically Speaking, A Deeper Look at Creating Stronger Images, by David duChemin. It is a great read, by the way.
The concept is balance. It is oddly difficult to define. The website, reference.com describes it this way, “Balance is a photography technique that involves capturing images within a frame so all parts of the image have equal visual weight.”
A photo can be formally balanced, informally balanced or unbalanced. It can be balanced horizontally or vertically, but in reality, left to right balance is the only balance that matters. Top to bottom has little effect on your perception of balance.
Formal balance is achieved by the use of symmetry. This type of balance is commonly used in portraiture photography. Objects do not have to be identical to create symmetry, but they must similar in terms of color, number of objects, position, etc. Symmetric balance tends to elicit feelings of calmness and serenity. It can also seen as static and boring.
Photo by Eric Segarra. Used with permission. While the overall feeling here is symmetry, the people are not symmetrically positioned, which adds to the interest of the image. You can see Eric’s Instagram gallery at @elphotographer.
Informal balance, also known as asymmetric balance, occurs when the subject is deliberately placed off center. It works well with the use of the rule of thirds, because that rule suggests a good off-center choice for placement. The subject then has to be counterbalanced by the visual weight of other objects. Some of the qualities that give visual weight to an object are:
Size
Photo by Karen Corrigan. Used with permission. The large figure in the front is balanced by three smaller figures in the back. You can see Karen’s gallery on Instagram at @kcdoverphoto.
Contrast and tone
Color especially warm or bright colors
Texture
People and animals
Photo by Ryan Davis. Used with permission. Human figures, even small ones, have big visual weights. You can see Ryan’s Instagram galleries at @intothelight_ and @intothelightstreetphotography.
Gaze
Bright spots
Focus
Photo by Peter Bach. Used with permission. The sharp focus of the front elements are balanced by the soft focus of the back elements. You can see Peter’s Instagram gallery at @peterbach_street and his 500px gallery at Peterbach.
Asymmetric balance is definitely harder to achieve in a composition, but compositions that have it tend to be more dynamic and interesting.
In unbalanced compositions, individual elements dominate the composition. This can create an unpleasant tension for the viewer, which might be the photographer’s intention.
This is an unbalanced composition. There is essential nothing on the left side to balance the visual weight of the truck, the man riding in the truck or the yellow signs in front of the truck.
The white truck in the background help balance the white truck and riders in the foreground.
If the object with the heaviest visual weight is too close to an edge in an image, it is going to be hard to balance it. That makes it harder, in general, to balance pictures with vertical aspects. There is little room for left to right to balance.
Photo by Liesbeth Dykstra. Used with permission. Clearly it is possible to balance a vertical image. The dark flag nicely balances with light girl. You can see Liesbeth’s gallery on Instagram at @liesesstuff.
There is another kind of balance that is independent of visual balance. It is conceptual balance. It is achieved by the juxtaposition of concepts we perceive as opposites, such as victory and loss, wealth and poverty, happiness and sorrow.
Photo by Niklas Lindskog. Used with permission. You can see his gallery at niklaslindskog.art.
I am going to take a little rest break from blog writing. I will be back in four weeks on July 9.