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OMG!.....more compositions rules

Previously, I have shared one of the composition rules, which is the Rule of Thirds. In this post, I will briefly describe the next 3 rules; (1) balance of elements, (2) leading lines, and (3) symmetry and patterns.

Dam Square, Amsterdam; the lion statue is the main object, the column is the balance object
How do we balance the elements? The rule of thirds suggests that a more interesting photo can be created by placing the subject off-center. The problem with this rule is it will leave a void in the scene, thus, the photo looks very empty. What you can do is to fill in the space with less important object (especially at out of focused). This is what we called BALANCE OF ELEMENTS.

The lamp post is the main object, the door arc is the balance object
Human eyes looking at a photo, it is naturally drawn along lines. Lines can be man-made or naturally occurred. These lines will pull us into the picture towards the subject or directed the journey through the landscape. Examples of lines include straight, diagonal, curvy, zigzag, radial and others. Each of these LEADING LINES has the potential to enhance our photos.

Amsterdam canals; lines towards the tower, see how your eyes were directed to the tower

Amsterdam; this photo has two lines, look how these two lines disturbed your focus
Similar to lines, SYMMETRY AND PATTERNS are man-made or natural. They can make eye-catching compositions especially when there is a distortion of symmetry or pseudo-asymmetry. Breaking of patterns in some way will introduce tension, which will pull our focal point to the photo.

A bakery in Amsterdam, see how the bicycle breaks the symmetry of the facade


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