Part 1 Section 6 - Balance & Visual Weight
Welcome to the final section in part 1 of our mini blog series, we're going to sum up everything we've learned thus far and tie it all together to highlight the important aspects of photography composition!
Balance in photography compositions refers to the harmonious distributions of visual elements within your frame. It ensures your photos feel stable and aesthetically pleasing to the viewer. Achieving balance is essential for guiding the viewer's eye and creating a cohesive visual narrative.
Section 6: Balance & Visual Weight
We'll start off with some practical tips you can utilize for achieving balance in your images. First, the visual weight of all the elements within the frame should always be distributed accordingly to maximize focus on your main subject. You want to do you best to eliminate unnecessary noise to prevent visual distraction for the viewers.
Applying negative space to the frame will always help promote balance and help offset the more dominate aspects of your compositions. This is great to really make your subject standout from the rest of the story.
Lastly, color and texture play a significant role in balancing out any photo. A lot of the post processing hours will be spent adjusting saturation and sharpness levels and you'll want to make sure to create a smooth and pleasing image throughout the entire photo.
Types of Balance in Compositions
There are four types of balance techniques we'll expand on to give you an opportunity to go out and practice on your own. Give each of them a go and you'll become a well rounded photographer with an arsenal of skills at your disposal.
Symmetrical Balance was first introduced in section three and we're going to briefly go over it here for the sake of it's importance. Essentially this style of balance has elements on both sides of the frame being identical to one another. Example: A perfectly symmetrical photograph of a reflection in water in which the subject and its refection mirror each other.
Asymmetrical Balance which was also covered in section three revolves around distributing different elements unevenly across the frame while maintaining a sense of visual equilibrium. Example: A portrait where the subject is positioned off center, balanced by a contrasting element or negative space on the other side of the frame.
Radial Balance occurs when elements radiate outward from a central point which creates a circular or spiral composition. Example: A photograph of a Ferris wheel at night in which the lights and spokes emanate from the center causing the viewers eyes into a circular motion throughout the image.
Transitional Balance involves guiding the viewer's eye through the composition using a series of graduated elements or leading lines. Example: a landscape photograph featuring a winding path that leads the viewer's eye from foreground, into the middle ground, and finally deep into the background.
Practice: Can you identify which type of balance the composition below has?
