Make your work to achieve visual balance

Have you ever looked at a very beautiful photograph and felt a certain dissonance, canvas prints but you couldn't point it out? Even good composition can be jarring if some of the elements are not balanced. But what is visual balance, and how do we achieve it? Today, we're going to delve deeper into its mysteries, hoping that you will pay attention to this important but underrated element of composition.

What is visual balance?

We may tend to think of visual balance as the physical element of our scene, but it's much more than that. It can be defined by color, hue, location, perspective, and even concepts. A visually balanced image allows the eye to focus on the subject, but also to notice other elements in the scene. These other elements will visually complement the theme rather than weaken it. Visual balance is often a complement to other composition techniques, such as the rule of thirds, online canvas prints the golden line and other composition techniques.

Symmetry and asymmetry

These are the two pillars of visual balance. Symmetry, we know, is a great composition tool, but if one element of the two parts has more visual weight than the other, the composition loses its effect. A typical example of visual balance and symmetry is the landscape reflected in a lake. With the lakeshore at the horizontal center of the image, large canvas printing we have a symmetrical and balanced image.

How do you achieve visual balance in your work?

Asymmetry is when we use secondary objects to balance the main body. For example, on the chain bridge in Budapest, the main body is a bridge, but the bridge is not placed in the middle, while the buildings on the left visually offset the asymmetry of the main body on the right. The beautiful architecture in the background gives it visual balance and enhances the shot without affecting the subject.

Physical balance

This is perhaps the most common form of visual balance that requires us to combine the physical elements of the scene. In this photo taken in Ghent, Belgium, the subject is a cityscape along the canal. To achieve balance, not only is the bridge railing in the mirror, but there are bicycles on the left. Both of these elements enhance the body, not weaken it. If the bike isn't there, the image feels unbalanced, with more visual weight on the left.

In this photo of a Greenland iceberg, smaller icebergs are visually more attractive than larger ones. To achieve a good visual balance, I try to get close to the smaller icebergs and put the larger ones in the background. Smaller icebergs are clearly the main body here, while the larger, less important icebergs in the background become the auxiliary body.

Color balance

We can also use color to balance our image. One way is to use primary colors to contrast with each other, like this photo of a barn in Norway. We used two main colors, red and green, to create a visual balance. A softer green hue overlays most of the image, but highlights the barn's red color and catches our attention.

In addition to primary colors, or secondary colors, we can use similar colors to balance the image. In a photograph of an old car in the Odessa courtyard, the subject is complemented and balanced by yellow leaves and the soft colors of the surrounding buildings.

Light and shadow

Another area where we can try to balance the image is using light and shadow. In this image, the shadows cast by the rocks not only create lines, but also create a visual balance between the dark, empty water and the shallow shadows that guide us to the boat. And the photograph also achieves a combination of symmetry and asymmetry. We can use shadows to reduce the importance of the visual elements in our shot, and we can also use light to highlight them.

Concept of balance

Conceptual visual balance can be a difficult thing to understand, but perhaps the most obvious examples are old and new, tradition and modernity. In this case, there are two conceptual balances. The old st Paul's cathedral is reflected in the glass of a modern office building, while this tree contrasts with the artificial plexiglass. There are many examples of conceptual balance in life, and once you find patterns, you'll see them everywhere.

Visual balance is an important part of our photography, but it is often overlooked. Some photographers can look through their viewfinders to see if the image is balanced. But for others, it takes time and practice. The next time you shoot, cheap aluminum photo prints you can look back on this article and check to see if your work achieves visual balance.