Balance
If you have read through all of the composition pages on this site you will have frequently seen reference to balance as part of the composition. This shouldn’t be confused with symmetry, it’s not about perfectly weighting one side of the image with the other. This is about ensuring the weight of the main topic doesn’t leave the image feeling ‘heavy’ on one side (unless of course this is intentional).
It can be quite a difficult concept to grasp in terms of understanding as it's more of a 'feeling' than anything else but it does play a very active part in determining the success or otherwise of your composition. The two images below (also seen in the Composing with colour section) provide a simple demonstration of the topic. In the first shot the small red sign provides a 'counter weight' to the very large block of colour provided by the phone boxes, in the second (edited) image without the red sign the picture appears quite different.
The image isn't made better or worse, just different, but it is important to understand the difference balance makes in your imagery so you know how to direct it to make the shot you were seeking to make.
It can be quite a difficult concept to grasp in terms of understanding as it's more of a 'feeling' than anything else but it does play a very active part in determining the success or otherwise of your composition. The two images below (also seen in the Composing with colour section) provide a simple demonstration of the topic. In the first shot the small red sign provides a 'counter weight' to the very large block of colour provided by the phone boxes, in the second (edited) image without the red sign the picture appears quite different.
The image isn't made better or worse, just different, but it is important to understand the difference balance makes in your imagery so you know how to direct it to make the shot you were seeking to make.
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In this shot of the winter ice around Upper Kananaskis Lake in Alberta, Canada, the huge weight of the ice in the foreground is offset by the perceived weight of the mountains beyond and further balance is achieved through the colour and tone across the frame.
The gallery below shows captioned examples of balance in image making. You can achieve balance through various means including colour, light and shadow (contrast) and as with the image above, perceived weight of an object.
The image below of Mt Indefatigable during an autumn storm relies on the balance of light and dark (contrast) cross the frame to make it work. Imagine seeing this image in daylight, there's little to it really and it would be heavily weighted on the right side, but the balance of light and shadow even out the frame overall which makes for a much more pleasing image.
Balance in image making is a difficult concept to explain let alone understand and apply but it does make a significant difference to an image. Again it is just part of the composition toolbox and should be considered but not necessarily used in every shot, often an unbalanced image will work equally well or better.