Everyone needs balance in their lives. We need enough sleep in order to be active, we need enough exercise in order to be healthy, and we need to basically maintain balance in many things we do.
Photographers also think about balance. A LOT. Called symmetry, the balance in a photo can be important as to where the viewer's eye will fall in that photo.
Photographers also think about balance. A LOT. Called symmetry, the balance in a photo can be important as to where the viewer's eye will fall in that photo.
It's not just about sticking subjects in the middle of a photo, because often photos with symmetry, do not have centered subjects. It's about using the elements at hand to provide the balance needed overall. There are a number of things to consider: tonal balance and color balance, for instance, help achieve symmetry.
In the photo above, I used a picket fence to achieve balance and uniformity in my backdrop, and green grass to frame the sides. The growth behind the fence is not the same on either side, but it doesn't matter. Not everything needs to be the same on each side to achieve symmetry.
Use of light and shadows also help to paint a symmetrical picture. As with the golden pups below, there is a sense of symmetry from front to back, as well as side to side.
In the photo above, I used a picket fence to achieve balance and uniformity in my backdrop, and green grass to frame the sides. The growth behind the fence is not the same on either side, but it doesn't matter. Not everything needs to be the same on each side to achieve symmetry.
Use of light and shadows also help to paint a symmetrical picture. As with the golden pups below, there is a sense of symmetry from front to back, as well as side to side.
Right now these photos remind me of lovely Spring, and early Fall, both much warmer than we are experiencing at the moment in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Our weather has ranged in the mid-teens, with single digits overnight. Even our impervious puppy, Talley, wants to come in from her jaunts outside as quickly as possible. (She is going to be 10 months old on February 7th!)
I have been doing studio work, ordering product for clients, and planning a wedding photo event for September 2021 in the age of COVID. I have also been attending training sessions via various photographic conferences, and enjoying Winter with our grandkids.
The picture below more readily reflects our landscape right now. It's a bit asymmetrical, still using elements to achieve balance, because, remember--NOT ALL SYMMETRY IS PERFECT--it's just balanced!
Test your observation and your eye: Can you find the elements of symmetry in this photo?
Our weather has ranged in the mid-teens, with single digits overnight. Even our impervious puppy, Talley, wants to come in from her jaunts outside as quickly as possible. (She is going to be 10 months old on February 7th!)
I have been doing studio work, ordering product for clients, and planning a wedding photo event for September 2021 in the age of COVID. I have also been attending training sessions via various photographic conferences, and enjoying Winter with our grandkids.
The picture below more readily reflects our landscape right now. It's a bit asymmetrical, still using elements to achieve balance, because, remember--NOT ALL SYMMETRY IS PERFECT--it's just balanced!
Test your observation and your eye: Can you find the elements of symmetry in this photo?
I have rejoined the blog circle in February, taking a small hiatus in January to pack away Christmas, attend online educational conferencing and order much needed product updates for the studio. I'm glad to be back and to say: for more on "symmetry," start your circle read with Angela and Bella of Big White Dog Photography in Spokane, WA, helping an Idaho rescue dog find a home, then look for the link at the bottom of each blog to take you to the next one, until you find yourself right back here again. Have a great weekend! Enjoy!
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