carlysue Loc: Columbus

Sometimes its easy to know your image is balanced. Sometimes when the image does not have one single subject,I find balance a challenge. Does light and vivid color (right) balance heavy&dark& crowding? Does the shadow in the frame offset the dark on the left? Thoughts?

last reminants of hydrangia

Frank2013 Loc: San Antonio, TX. & Milwaukee, WI.

I have yet to become a frame man carlysue. It appears to me you have a diagonal from dark to light which I believe helps with balance.

oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA

In this case the answer is no.

carlysue Loc: Columbus

No,as in the bright color on the right does not balance the dark?

oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA

the bright color on the right does not balance the dark

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Fantastic topic for discussion, carlysue!

For me, the frame doesn't work here. For the purpose you mention, it doesn't work for me because the image looks like it's above the frame, a 3d effect and separated from the frame. And in general, I think the frame is too busy and distracting from the very interesting image.


I couldn't visualize the image without the frame to address this question, so I cropped it off. Then I wondered if flipping it (I beat Frank to it! :) ) would balance better: light leading into dark?

Image quality is degraded, but I like this a lot. I'm always drawn to dramatic light!

oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA

In the image provided by Linda they do balance.
The whole image now has a sense of 'rightness' your original lacks.

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

If you want critique on an image it probably does not help to it with a frame that distracts made worse by a dropped shadow.
Kidz PP gal!
Linda has shown you the way but I think it would take even more drama in the lighting department. Its a perfect candidate for Tiffen DFX ambient light filter with a layer mask to put the light where you want it. The colors and textures are stunning. If you do portraits use this as an overlay cos I think it will look cool
Re the title of the post well shoot more think less and good things happen and you have more fun.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

The balance is not so much light versus dark, but rather the gradual transition from dark to light. As you know, there are many ways to achieve balance within a composition. However, that balance need not necessarily be based on the direct relationship x versus y, but can be based on a more indirect relationship - the transition between x and y.

Concerning your question about the offset effectiveness of the frame shadow - no, I don't think so. When in doubt, use the squint test! The great master painters used it centuries ago for their compositions, and it is just as useful today in photography.

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

You started an excellent thread, Carleysue!

Another approach that I've found useful in evaluating not only light-dark balance , but other aspects of composition as well is to:

1. MAKE A COPY OF THE IMAGE,
2. Desaturate,
3. Apply Gaussian blur of gradually increasing percentage of blur until sufficient detail is just barely obscured to the point that you can more easily perceive the "weights" and "balance" of the images components without the prejudicial effect of recognizing what, specifically, those components of the image are.

This is similar to the practice of "blocking in" with four of five tones of gray the basic structure of a planned image in pastels (or other media) to gain a better sense of a planned composition.

Dave

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Thank you! I too felt the image off, but rotated it darkside up and am much happier with it now.

Thank you for sharing carlysue! S-

rotated right

carlysue Loc: Columbus

I'm appreciating what every one is saying. And several have offered ways to check balance. OK,then, forget/lose/erase the frame and shadow. (I probably should have not posted this one,gone with just the original,but it happened to be the one I was working on at the time). SO, from the changes that are shown, weight should be at the bottom and lead upward through the image? Or left to right,as in reading a book? If it stirs up a bit of angst,does that decrease the impact? I'm still trying to get a handle on composition. (Billy, I shoot plenty, its all fun, but I'd also like to know when its right and when its wrong)

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

While there are 'rules' and 'techniques' for shooting it all comes down to how it feels when you look at it and you'll know it when you see it.

Try this -
Open your image as large as you can on the screen
Turn away from it and walk at least three feet away, six if possible
Now turn back, and look at it as quickly as you can
Make mental notes about the colors, textures, shapes and balance
- Now rotate the image and do it again and again and again
- Flip and mirror the image too if that feels right

Another thing I do is play a game of Better Or Worse -
Open your post processing program
Make a copy of every variant you like
Then in a photo viewer look at one then the other
And decide, do I like this one or that one more
Delete the one you don't like and continue on

I hope this helps! S-

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

As a side, I've been following a discussion in Main Discussion you might like too.

Techniques for Making Memorable Images http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-351871-1.html

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

I think this is a marvelous thread Carly Sue, because it really makes us think about components of composition and ask ourselves "why" questions about the images we create and look at. I don't know that there is a right and wrong, or that there is one answer that suits all observers. I read this thread from the top down, and each new rendition seemed to become more balanced than the one before. Of course it helps that it is a very pleasing image to start with. When I got to Steve's, I thought "yes, that's it", but because I tend to read images from the lower left, it looked even more balanced with one more switch, which let me enter from the heavier/lighter/lower-left area and follow the lighter flowers up, around through the dark area, and back down following a rather elegant form almost like a music note (the blue line). It is possible that the drop shadow had some influence on me but I'm not sure. I make no claims that my "reading" is proper or well-informed. If turning it, I would probably fiddle a bit with some dodge/burn to accommodate the switch, but its lines and forms felt balanced to my eyes this way.