Exercise 6 - Balance

In this exercise I am required to take several of my previously shot photos and decide how the balance works in each one. (Michael Freeman, The Photographers Eye Page 40, states "Balance is the resolution of tension, opposing forces that are matched to provide equilibrium and a sense of harmony").   

Before this exercise I have never really looked at whether my photos are balanced, I just see if I like the look of the shot.  Maybe, my sub conscious has been looking for balance, otherwise how would any of my photos achieved this.  

To complete the exercise I am required to "sketch" the areas of balance, I have tried to show this by drawing boxes on to the photos below.   I am then required to show a balance scale to depict how these "sketch areas" balance.

So here goes on a few of my old photos (Scales are shown at the end):

Photo 1

I think the balance work in this one, as although the glass is smaller than the bottle, it is central and in the foreground,  The bottle is nearer the edge and further back. This placement means that despite the differing sizes the balance works.

Photo 2

Again there are several items of unequal size in this photo.  I think the photo still balances, as the nearer group of people are nearer the center and where as the back person is on the edge of the photo.  I also think the cross dissecting both groups helps with the balance as shown in the scale for Photo 2 below.

Photo 3

 This is a very simple balance, as both part of the photo are of similar size and have therefore been placed equally near the to center 

Photo 4

Balance is achieved through the symmetry of the petals radiating from the central stamen of this daisy. 

Photo 5

It took me a while to decide on the balance in this photo.  I started with the blocks above and I think it works.  But then I think that maybe  the road at the forefront should have a box around it, as this added to the hills on the right would then possibly equal all the hills on the left.  

Photo 6

Again I took a while to decide on how this photo achieves it balance, but I think it does.  The main part of the photo is central and the island in the distance is also fairly central.  In addition to this the area either side has equal amount of detail, which achieves the balance.  Had the foreground only had detail on one side the whole photo would not have balanced and would probably have benefited from some cropping.

Conclusion

I struggled with this exercise for quite a while.  Mainly because I have again found that the majority of my previous photos are simple, clean photos that tend to focus on one point of interest.  This means the balance is simple, one point of interest, one item - one thing to balance centrally. Of the photos not like this there are many of mountains and landscapes which I find hard to define the balance within.  I have tried on a couple above and hope that I have achieved the objective in these photos.  

Reviewing my old photos, I find that I possibly already think on balance, but not in the way I have had to within this exercise.  From doing this exercise I think that I will now try to think balance as I look through the viewfinder and hope to achieve a clearer balance in my landscapes and photos with a variety of items in, rather than just one.  I also think this may help me to achieve a point of interest in my landscape photos, which I struggle with at times, and this may help me to lift my landscapes from snapshots to second look photos.