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Balance By Christopher Tillisch

What is balance, and why is it useful in photography?

The term "balance" in photography implies and is composed of noticeable visual elements to symbolize and attempt to grab the viewer's attention. A photographer can become creative with this technique by choosing between four different strategies to express a more creative visual approach. The four elements in balance are, Symmetrical, Asymmetrical, Radial, and Crystallographic balances. One of the most popular element in balance among some photographers is the symmetrical property of balance, but it doesn't mean it is the best for every situation.

Symmetrical Balance

Symmetrical balance can be classified as any photo that could be used to evenly separate the two sides either vertically or horizontally and be recognized similar to a mirror. Someone viewing a photo with symmetrical balance will notice how the same weight or pattern is applied to both side evenly.

Asymmetrical Balance

Asymmetric balance in a photo can be best summarized as the complete opposite of symmetrical balance, being that both sides of the photo capture different size weights. This property allows for a photographer to express a more dynamic looking photo with a mostly different variation and balance from symmetrical images. Even through they have different size weights, these types of photos can still be balanced.

Radial Balance

Radial balanced photos typically have ripples or spirals that help to grab the attention of viewers using a different photographic strategy from other components of balance. Some examples of subjects that are used to accomplish this could be a snail shell or petals from a flower.

Crystallographic Balance

Crystallographic balanced photos attempt to achieve a equally balanced visual by showcasing many different objects in a scene. This typically isn't the best way to attract the viewers attention due to the many objects in the scene in focus and not allowing for simplicity with no main subject present in the photo.

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