Choose a Good Balance in Your Photo

Friday 4 April 2025, 22:22 by Nando Harmsen | 2,516 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Balance is very important in a photo. Imbalance often makes a photo less pleasant to look at. Always keep this in mind when placing elements in a photo. Leave nothing to chance.

I often see photos that are not well balanced. This can have several causes. A dominant, heavy element at the side. Too much space between the elements. Empty space on one side of a photo.

This often happens when there are two dominant elements. They are too close to the edges, creating a 'gap' between them. Or one comes out of the edge while the other is positioned towards the 1/3 line.

If you have a tree on the right, do not place it too close to the edge. Certainly not when there is so much space on the left. It looks as if you have not aimed the camera properly.
Choose your framing very carefully and pay attention to all the elements in the image. They all contribute to the overall composition. If you choose a particular position for an element, make sure it still forms a whole.

When you create a view through, make sure it really is a view through. Here, the trees at the sides do not really contribute.

Sometimes it is not easy, especially with landscapes. This means that you sometimes have to look for the best place to get something in the frame. Leave nothing to chance. Make sure everything in the image contributes fully, rather than only partly.

The distribution of the trees within the frame is balanced here. The space between the trees and between the trees and the edge is even.
Although the distribution of the trees in the photo above appears balanced, there is still one point of criticism. If I had stood further to the left, the tree in the middle, far in the background, would have been right between them. That would have been even better.

You might also like

• 

  Composition tip: Use horizontal lines

  by Elja Trum

• 

  Composition tip: Use symmetry

  by Elja Trum

• 

  Composition tip: Creating a sense of urgency

  by Elja Trum

• 

  Optimise the Distribution of Space

  by Nando Harmsen

• 

  Beware the so-called perfect white balance

  by Nando Harmsen

• 

  Forget composition rules. Trust your feelings more.

  by Nando Harmsen

0 comments

Have your say

Please note: Articles older than a week can only be commented on by signed-in visitors.
Would you still like to comment? sign in or create a free account.