balancing shapes pt 2
arranging moving objects


Kat Sloma's theme went with me on my photo journeys these past days. Every time i took a shot i was considering balance. Today i stood at the shore of the lake and took pictures of the ships sailing by. I usually wait for a boat to 'enter' my frame and shoot as soon as it has reached the right position. This time i tried to wait for the right balance.

In these shots the division of the frame is the same: two thirds is taken up by the sky and one third by the water. I followed the boat with my lens and kept it close to the middle of the frame. The difference in these images lies in the orientation and distance of the boat and the size and shape of the horizon.

For me this shot has the right balance. There is movement: the boat is sailing out of the frame and the sails are nicely curved by the wind, the horizon has no distracting shapes, the mill is a nice bonus and exactly in the right position and the blurry reeds in the foreground add a subtle touch.

Here are some horizontal shots with a completely different impact. Again the sky and the water are divided into thirds, but there is a lot more space for the boat, so it needs to be in a different position in order to create a well-balanced shot.

This one is my favorite. I like the boat in the first third of the space, with movement implied by the diagonal line of the sail and the wake be hid the boat, and at the same time a lot of space to the right (two thirds) suggesting a wide open space beyond the frame where the boat will go on sailing indefinitely.