Photographic Composition A Visual Guide Ottawa with perfect bilateral symmetry, the visual elements are mirror images of each other. in a photograph, this can be static and boring. Although the Parliament building is sym- metrical, the surround is not. the trees and cloud formation on either side break up the perfect symmetry of the building, increasing the interest. the partial circular base in the foreground provides a strong perspective that leads directly to the Parliament building. it is a well-composed photograph. Symmetry: The ground we walk on, the plants and creatures, the clouds above constantly dissolving into new formations--each gift of nature possessing its own radiant energy, bound together by cosmic harmony. Ruth Bernhard 44