Since starting landscape photography over 30 years ago, getting great composition has been the holy grail. Finding a subject or great light is often a matter of timing and patience, but getting the perfect composition is the art in photography.
Over the years, I have discovered a number of ways to improve my composition, and in this video, I share seven of them. One of the key ones that I discovered was creating balance in a photograph. An obvious way to do this is with symmetry, like this photo here from Buttermere in the Lake District, UK.
Symmetry in composition, Buttermere, Lake District
A less obvious but actually fairly intuitive way is to use asymmetry where the images aren’t symmetric but are still in balance. This can often look better in a photo, as it is a more realistic approach to creating an image in most landscapes. You probably don’t realize it most of the time, but you will use asymmetric balance in your photos to make them look good.
Here is a simple example of a photo with asymmetric balance.
Asymmetric balance in photography
If you combine the two areas of symmetry and asymmetry, you can often get really powerful images, such as this shot, also from Buttermere.
Asymmetry and symmetry in a photo can create a powerful image.
The other areas that I look at in the video are mood, shapes, diagonals, the horizon, and color.
loved the 2nd image....