by Janet
Believe it or not, we have now included 13 different types of Balance in our discussion on composition. And we are STILL counting!! Billie Jean King at Billiejean’s Home has added number 14 to our list… Geometric Balance!
A few days ago, she sent the following images & thoughts:
Janet, thanks for encouraging smuggers to participate. Your blog (and 2 Guys’ and Art’s) are such an inspiration and really great learning tools .
Congratulations on the launch and success of your posts!
The first thing that caught my eye in John’s shot was the geometry in it.The entire picture is packed with wonderful rectangles and angles.
So I would add Geometric Balance to the list!
Architectural shots are perfect when using geometry to balance a picture. I took this picture of someone’s summer house last spring on a short stay on the Northern California coast.
Several things caught my eye, the lines of the chairs, the rectangular and square windows, and the shake siding. There’s even geometry in the domes of the geraniums.
But wait! There’s more:)
There’s also an Informal Balance on the structure of the house in that the side with the windows is heavy with interest while the right hand side is completely blank except for the brown porch light and the shadow, both sides create a nice balance in this shot.
While it doesn’t pack the emotional feeling and complexity of John’s picture, it does exhibit a simple and peaceful balance.
I was supposed to be looking for winter vegetables but my camera does wander and I just follow along:)
Not only is nature’s symmetrical balance so perfect, but because of the line that divides the leaf and the curves of the veins, I would add it to the Geometric Balance category as well.
Geometry plays a huge part in a lot of the pictures we post, keep your eye open for it if you don’t already. There’s a whole new view when you start seeing it.
Thanks so much for your insights and your images, Billie.
It’s fascinating to study these images & really think about the elements of composition that are so strong in both of them. Sometimes we hurry past our shots without giving them the attention that they deserve, and when we stop for a moment we find there is so much there to enjoy & appreciate.
(To see the images you will need to click on the links provided. I’m still a newbie here in the complex world of blogging and I have absolutely NO idea why they won’t open & display the images within the text. Maybe someone with an idea and more experience can tell me…. ??)
There’s always room for more ideas about the endless variety of ways in which the element of balance can influence composition … I wonder, will anyone suggest Idea # 15?
On my next blog, I’m going to list them all…. maybe that will make them easier to remember when you are composing that next shot… 🙂
Adventures in Surviving the Shift 