Balancing with Objects

Balancing with objects is a lot of fun, but it can be a little confusing. The tricky part is deciding which object(s) to use. Sometimes there is no question about what object to choose, because there is only one. Let’s say it’s a lonely tree on top of a hill. Put the tree on one side of the frame and your subject(s) on the other, and you’re done.

But what happens when you have tens of objects to choose from, all with different shapes and colors and sizes? Now how do you balance your image? If the objects you should use as balance don’t quite jump out at you, ask yourself these five questions.

Five Key Questions for Choosing a Balance Point

1. Which object is the biggest and/or most dominant? If you remove the groom getting ready from image 2.3, the painting of Gandhi is clearly the most dominant object in the frame. So I chose the painting as my point of balance, with Gandhi on the right and the groom on the left. Notice how the photo is nicely balanced.