All of the elements within the photo work with one another, making the image complete and cohesive.However, symmetry and balance are not necessarily synonymous. Asymmetrical - one side dominates, but balance is still achieved.Balance is a way of using the composition of a photo to create a sense of unity, giving a viewer a feeling of satisfaction. If the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable.Vocabulary: Symmetrical - if the picture was folded in half, both halves would be equal. Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. The principles of design describe the ways that artists use the elements of art in a work of art. Definition of Balance in art.

Informal / AsymmetricalAn informal photo uses asymmetry in its composition, creating more complex images.At first, you might assume that this means that an informal photo is unbalanced, but the technique draws on the brainвЂ™s love of patterns to juxtapose elements in the frame so that they feel as though they are placed perfectly in relation to one another.It is the relationship between the different elements that create a sense of balance in photography, drawing again on how as a society we have learned to see images, shaped by a history of art and the images that surround us every day.A photograph with asymmetrical balance often ties in closely with the rule of thirds. Sometimes, a sense of balance symmetry can be implied, and it can even occur diagonally:Because of all of this, a formal photo can be childishly simple in its approach, or perhaps painfully obvious in its construction, or carefully constructed to give a strong sense of balance and harmony вЂ” or possibly even a mixture of all three. Symmetry gives us a feeling of stability, calmness, tranquillity, and formality.It can give us a sense that something is complete, crafted with precision and control.The central line dividing an image doesnвЂ™t necessarily need to run vertically. ItвЂ™s perfect for an impactful image where you want as few distractions as possible, and it also lends itself well to subjects such as beauty or glamour.A perfectly centred face taps into our understanding of symmetry as something that is desirable and attractive, feeding on our own subconscious feelings that a symmetrical face is a beautiful face.Formal photography draws heavily on fine art, going all the way back to paintings from the 15th century, or even as far back as Greek temples from 600 BC. Formal / SymmetricalFormal photos are symmetrical, typically splitting the image using an imaginary, vertical line down the centre so that the left and right halves are fairly close to being identical, or at the very least hold equal amounts of visual weight.Some small details in the scene might disrupt this symmetry, but the main subject has enough symmetrical balance that it gives an overwhelming sense of evenness in the photo, with each side of the image feeling even.This is how many of us start out in photography: putting the subject of the image right in the middle of the frame so that there is even space on each side.This is a basic and understandable way of creating a photo: you want to capture something in an image and it makes sense to position it in the most important part of the frame: the middle.Symmetrical photographs surround us, often happening where an image just needs to be simple, such as in a portrait, or as a means of conveying or illustrating a basic message.The human brain loves patterns and because of this, symmetry in photography can really grab a viewerвЂ™s attention.While we might be keen to move on to more complex means of composing photographs, the simplicity of symmetrical balance can make it a powerful tool.

Color BalanceColor offers another type of informal balance. Background elements can be used to complement the main foreground interest.In this example that hints towards the rule of thirds, the distant, out of focus people compliment the main subject:Contrasting colors can also be effective:Sometimes, depending on how it is framed, the negative space in an image can offer enough contrast to give balance:Tonal balance is a form of informal balance and is best understood in terms of black and white photography.We often try to create an even spread of tones within an image, from complete black, through a range of shades of grey, through to complete white.Darker areas naturally carry more visual weight, and tonal balance is achieved when the various elements of an image balance out the heavier areas. Consider this photo:Even though the geometry of the composition might be pleasing, the photograph gives a sense of uncertainty as itвЂ™s not clear where the person is about to go.A viewer might feel that this image isnвЂ™t entirely satisfying because their sense of balance is disrupted by the movement of the person towards the edge of the frame.By contrast, giving the person space to move into can create a sense of balance and harmony:Another way to balance out a subject that you have placed off centre is to use a secondary element on the opposite side of the image вЂ” not to balance the image perfectly in terms of symmetry or weight, but to act as a compliment.Negative space вЂ” empty areas вЂ” can feel heavy in their visual weight, and breaking up that space can create a sense of evenness.Often, the secondary element offers contrast to the primary subject, differing in size, geometry, brightness, vibrancy, color, texture вЂ” even focus or proximity to the lens. A portrait of a person positioned to one side of a frame looking inwards feels calm, but if that person is positioned to the left and is looking to the left, it creates a sense of stress.If a person has space within the frame to gaze into вЂ” often referred to as looking space вЂ” there is a feeling of balance.This is emphasised further if a person is moving. By contrast, the second triangle, though occupying an almost identical position, creates tension, its left-hand corner pointing us away from the centre of the frame, reflecting its unstable base and giving the impression that it wants to escape.The first image gives a sense of asymmetrical balance, while the second image implies a sense of tension.Similar things can occur with people. Consider these two triangles:The first triangle has stability and doesnвЂ™t feel like it needs to move.

Go minimal вЂ“ if a composition feels unbalanced, see if you can remove anything that is unnecessary, reducing whatвЂ™s in the frame to its essential parts. Think geometrically вЂ“ as you take more photographs, you will naturally start to see more geometric shapes in your images and you will start to learn how they fit together to create a pleasing and balanced composition. Conceptual BalanceConceptual balance is the final type of informal balance, this time moving away from the form of a subject and towards a type of balance that is metaphysical вЂ” i.e., more abstract ideas such as knowledge, being, time, and space.Rather than using a secondary element that offers contrast in terms of shape, distance, color, tone, texture, etc., balance is achieved because the theme of that secondary element is starkly different to the main subject.A photo that uses conceptual balance might juxtapose a historic stone building with a glass skyscraper or, as seen in our example, confinement versus freedom.See more about conceptual photography here.Tips for Creating Balance In Your Photographs Alternatively, you might use colors that are on the opposite side of the color wheel to give balance.This isnвЂ™t always something that we can control while shooting, but it might be something that you look to emphasise when you come to edit your photographs.

Try different ratios too вЂ” 4:5 and 1:1 lend themselves to different ways of balancing a photo. Play with cropping вЂ“ sometimes a weak composition can be turned into a great photo by simply cropping it intelligently. Edit your work вЂ“ this doesnвЂ™t mean playing with presets in Lightroom instead, it means looking through your images and figuring out which ones work вЂ” and why they work.

Picture Of Balance In Art