Balance

BALANCE

Balance describes the way subject matter is placed in a photograph. Balance can be symmetrical (elements are the same on both sides) or asymmetrical (where elements are placed unevenly, but still work together to produce harmony overall).

This "harmony" is achieved by balancing the VISUAL WEIGHT. Visual weight describes how much something in an image "pulls" your eye to look at it. Imagine that you have an almost entirely white image with a small black dot in it. That black dot will pull your eye immediately- it carries a lot of VISUAL WEIGHT.

Balance is a way of evenly distributing visual weight. This way, no single area of the image draws our eye so much that we get "stuck" there. Instead, our eye is free to roam around the image and take it all in. A balanced image feels pleasing to the eye, not lopsided in any way!

SYMMETRICAL BALANCE:

If the composition is divided into halves, one will precisely mirror the other. This is one of those principles of design photography that is considered classical and stable.

ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE:

The components of each half of the composition differ but together they counterbalance each other.

RADIAL BALANCE:

The composition has the central element and then others radiating away from it evenly. Such an image would produce a dynamic effect and feel as if set in motion.