These emails come with the intent of helping you be a better photographer. 

And if you want more photography stuff to read, there's a place on the interwebs where past emails I wrote are stored. You'll find 'em in the "Newsletter Hub." 

Remember, I'd like to know what you want to know about photography. So, If you have any questions, ask by sending an email to me at sam@samdamico.com.

About Elements of Composition

I learned not to use "rules of composition" when making photographs.

Instead, I've learned to think of everything involved in making a photograph as an element of composition. 

And I mean EVERYTHING. 

From how we think about what we see to our intent of composition, the equipment we use, and our thought process while creating a photograph. 

Everything we do and have is an element of composition. 

Furthermore, rules are limiting, while elements can be combined in nearly endless ways to give us nearly endless visually complex compositional possibilities that hold the viewer's attention. 

If we wanna make better pictures, I always say it's better to change our minds than our cameras.

And one of the first things I suggest we do is change our minds about composition. 

Specifically, stop using rules of composition that limit us. 

Instead, we can start thinking of everything we do and everything we use elements of composition that go into creating every photograph we make.

Hello , 

This week in the elements composition stuff I've been sending out on Friday's we're gonna talk about BaLaNCE. 

And there's evidence that us humans prefer balance [1]. 

Which may explain why the word "balance" a couple of sentences up, might bother ya a bit.   

Elements of Composition: Balance

What's Balance? 

Balance is a word to describe a feeling created with visual symmetry. 

And we can create visual symmetry by repeating parts of a picture around a center, along a path or across an axis.

Additionally, balance as a visual principle/element is achieved by

making our photograph weighted equally throughout the composition. 

On other hand, asymmetry refers to anything that isn't symmetrical. Asymmetry feels unbalanced.

To keep it simple, when it comes to our photographs, we've either got visual balance or we don't. 

Are There Different Types of Balance? 

I imagine each of our senses has a sense of balance. 

For example, if something tastes too salty to me, then my sense of taste experiences unbalance. And if the music is too loud or soft then my sense of hearing experiences unbalance.

Where Can We See Balance in Photographs? 

We can see balance or unbalance thorought our photogrgraphs.

Imagine a flat horizon line where the sky meets the sea and splits the frame evenly and horizontaly. I'd considered this spatially balanced because the sky and sea occuppy equal area as content whithin our frame.

And now imagine moving than horizon line higher or lower. 

We're creating spatial unbalance.   

How To Study and Practice With Balance

On a base level we can practice with balance usung any camera because we can easily work with the arrangment of the content within our frame. 

However, we can also create balance of focus, tonality, color, etc.

A visually balanced picture feels calming, relaxing, stable, etc. 

The best way to practice with balance is to create two photographs of the same thing. One version of the picture should feel balanced and the other version of the picture should feel unbalanced. 

The Introduction to Photography course classes start today and Sunday. Classes are kept small (no more than 5 participants) to ensure participants get all they can out of the meetings. Register now to hold your spot. 

That's all for now; thanks for reading!

Sam 

I'll help you be a better photographer—study and practice photography with me. 

And what if the timing doesn't work for you in any of my scheduled group classes? If that's the case, let's schedule a one-time lesson or a series of in-person or online private instruction that covers the same things as my group classes. 

Ways to work with me are listed below.

References

1. Pecchinenda, A., Bertamini, M., James Makin, A. D., & Ruta, N. (2014). The Pleasantness of Visual Symmetry: Always, Never or Sometimes. PLoS ONE, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092685  

I look forward to helping you be a better photographer.

Best Regards, 

Sam