Project 12, Month 2, Balance

"Balance in photographic composition is a matter of making pictures look harmonious.  Each element in a picture has a certain amount of value in respect to all the other elements.  Every tone, mass, shape, tree, rock figure, building, line or shadow contributes a certain amount of weight that must be arranged correctly in the composition to give the impression of balance.  The subject placement within the picture area is the factor that must be carefully considered.

Composition is kept in balance by two different methods: symmetrical, or formal, balance and asymmetrical, or informal, balance."

• Symmetrical, or formal, balance in a photograph is achieved when elements on both sides of the picture are of equal weight.  (While symmetrical implies formal balance, formal balance does not always mean a picture has to be symmetrical.)
• Asymmetrical, or informal, balance is usually much more interesting than symmetrical balance.

There are many factors to consider in order to make pictures appear balanced.  Some of these are 

• An object far from the center of the picture seems to have more weight than one near the center.
• Objects in the upperpart of a picture seem heavier than objects of the same size in the lower part of a picture.
• Isolation seems to increase the weight of an object
• Intensely interesting objects seem to have more compositional weight.
• Regular shapes seem to have more weight than irregular shapes.
• Elements on the right side of an asymmetrical picture appear to have more weight than elements of the same size on the left side of the picture.
• The directions in which figures, lines, and shapes appear to be moving within the picture are important to balance; for example, a person may be walking in a direction, or his eyes may be looking in a direction, or the shape of some element creates a feeling of movement.  When the feeling of direction is present within a scene, it tends to upset the balance if judged on the size of the subject alone.

You can read more about balance in the Navy basic photography training course manual NAVEDTRA 14209 (section 5-8, page 116) from which the above was taken.  Although published in 1999 for film cameras, the Navy photography manuals still contain much relevant (and easy to read) material.  They can be downloaded free from SHOPDAWG or read (in part) at photoinf.com. 

Other aspects to consider:

• Dark objects "weigh" more than light colored objects.
• A group of smaller objects on one side of the scene can balance one large object on the other side.
• An object has more weight by itself than in a group

This month we'll be concentrating on balance in composition:

1. Formal Balance, symmetry
2. Informal Balance, asymmetry
3. Radial Symmetry
4. Light/Dark Balance

Suggested Reading and Photographs:

1. Balance from North Penn School District
2. NAVY Training Course, Balance, at photoinf.com; older photography course well worth reading
3. Some Ideas About Composition and Design by Marvin Bartel at Goshen College; "formal aspects of composition and design"
4. Symmetry - the Forbidden Fruit of Picture Composition in Film by Louis Thonsgaard at P.O.V; composition in movies
5. Symmetry - A User's Guide by Susheel Chandradhas from BeyondPhotoTips; discusses and illustrates different types of  symmetry
6. Principles of Design, Balance, from Art, Design, and Visual Thinking, Cornell University; a more formal approach to symmetry
7. Jim Zuckerman on Composition: Balance from Mac-On-Campus.com; accompanied by illustrations and photographs
8. Creating Photographic Composition from LearnMyShot.com; video on composing food photographs.
9. Photographic Composition 2 - Balance from Ian Bramhan Photography; text, illustrations, and photos
10. Composition: SEX and Balance from Ken Rockwell; it may not be what you're expecting from the title, but some great tips on achieving balance when composing photos.