Project 11

Balance

To help me with this project, I found the following web site.

http://photoinf.com/General/KODAK/guidelines_for_better_photographic_composition_balance.html

It helped to understand that balance can both be symmetrical and non symmetrical. Symmetrical balance would have equal parts to the left and the right (or top and bottom). If you took a persons portrait with the person central, and folded it in half down the middle, when opened out again, each half would have identical parts. Each would have an eye, an ear, and half a mouth and half a nose.

In the picture below, the couple and the window are a pleasing placement, and a nice touch is the way the leaves at the top left are balanced by the similar leaves in the bottom right.

The next picture is not symmetrical, however, the large head on the left takes up a larger part of the photograph, whereas the small child takes a proportionately smaller part of the photograph.

Now to some of my own pictures. The balance to the right of each picture shows how I think the elements are arranged with each other.

The first is very symmetrical (if you ignore the drainpipe!),and shows precisely that each side is identical to the other.

The next picture is a little less obvious, but I think that the land mass in the lake is balanced by the log and tree in the foreground.

I think that in the next picture, the large tree on the left balances the mountains on the right. Also, the wall appearing larger on the right helps give weight to that side. Next is an obviously symmetrical view. Not only left to right, but also top to bottom. The Different shaped central point adds to the balance with the other elements radiating out from it. In this next shot, the large tower on the right is a vertical shape and although off to one side, it is balanced by the horizontal section of the rest of the building.

This next shot is a little more difficult to define, but the few heavier arches at the top right are well balanced by the size and quantity of lighter arches bottom left.