Principles of Photography

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Principles

of design

Balance

BALANCE IS CREATED BY VISUAL WEIGHTS IN AN IMAGE THE LEFT SIDE OF THE IMAGE SHOULD “FEEL” BALANCED OUT BY THE RIGHT, AND THE TOP SHOULD FEEL ABOUT EQUAL TO THE BOTTOM WITH THE TOP A TOUCH LIGHTER THIS IS THE GENERAL RULE, WHICH CAN BE BROKEN ONCE UNDERSTOOD

Formal/ Symmetrical

VERTICAL OR HORIZONTAL

• This is considered the easiest to understand
• The image is either balanced vertically or horizontally
• The image is balanced by creating a “mirror image” or close to it
• An example might be a photo of two people sitting next to each other, centered in the middle

Informal/ Asymmetrical Balance

• This type of balance is considered more interesting and may be more intuited (or sensed) to achieve
• One side balanced out the other by creating equal visual weight without a mirror or a copy

Radial Balance

• This is when all of the elements of the design “radiate” from a center point in a circular fashion
• This is a great way to lead the eye into the focal point in the center of the photo

Emphasis by contrast

• What can grab the attention of the viewer’s eye
• The eye is usually drawn to subjects that are different from their surroundings
• For example, if you have an image of overlapping circles, a square would be out of place
• If your image is generally dark in value, but one object is very light
• organic vs. geometric shapes, bright or dull color, rough or smooth texture, blurry or sharp focus

Emphasis by contrast

• Once you know how you want to create emphasis, you have to choose where to place it
• You can put it anywhere you want
• Your photo will convey different feelings depending on where you decide to put your emphasis
• The rule of thirds is a guideline for “good” composition
• Your composition will generally improve if you place your focus close to one of the thirds of your photograph
• This is only a guideline, just one option that does seem to help for beginner photographers
• Sometimes you will want to place the subject in the center to create a static, solid, and lonely feeling or on the edge to create tension

Emphasis by Rule of Thirds

Harmony

CONTINUING THE VISUAL LEGACY

• The blending of more than one element to create a photograph that is calmer and restful in appearance
• This is achieved when there are no distractions in the picture

Movement

• Various techniques can be used to create a sense of motion or movement
• Repeated or multiple images, fuzzy outline of the object in motion, directional lines

Proportion

THE DAWN OF PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHY DESCRIPTION

• Proportion will impact the quality of your photos; this is why it’s hard to get a good photo of a large moon
• When you see that the moon looks huge, you also see it in comparison to houses, trees, buildings, mountains etc, The photo just shows the sky

Rhythm

SENSE OF MOVEMENT

• directs the viewer's eye across similar, repeated elements
• A photograph of books on a shelf, sand dunes, ocean waves, and tree trunks in a forest could produce a sense of rhythm

Rhythm

Unity

• The whole piece is noticed before specific parts of the piece
• All parts of the photograph are in visual agreement with the whole
• Any of the elements can be clustered, repeated, grouped, or aligned to create a sense of unity
• if you cannot find relationships between the parts of your photography, it will lack unity

Unity

Variety

GENERATE INTEREST WITH VARIETY! MAYBE YOU WANT TO REPEAT CIRCLES IN YOUR IMAGE, YOU MIGHT VARY THE SIZES

Variety

Pattern

• made by repetition of a design or element with a higher degree of regularity
• If the repetition relates to the sense of touch, it would be texture, and if it relates to our sense of design, it’s a pattern