Lessons Learned: A Question of Balance

There's nothing more impressive than the will of a living organism to survive. In Yosemite or Acadia, tiny seeds blow into aerial nooks on impossibly steep ledges then grow into full-sized trees. That delicate balance of nature, of life and death, and literally the balance that keeps the plants from toppling off their precarious perches, symbolizes the argument for balance in all things.

In addition to the symbolic balance in our subjects, photographers find value in creating balance in image composition. Tension, or imbalance, is also useful in making an interesting image.

At first glance, this image may appear unbalanced. The triangle of foliage at the lower left would seem to create "weight" in that area, pulling the image to left. But the heavier dark color of the cliff near the top extends, cantilever-like, to offset the triange, and the noteworthy texture in the cliff itself helps bring the overall image back to center. Likewise, the light-colored rock in the right-side center draws the eye to the right, assisting in the balancing act.

In my opinion, images like this demonstrate the best of both worlds. Like a Calder mobile, they ultimately balance but only after dense, heavy weights are offset by lighter, cantilevered weights. Tension at stability creates a sense of temporary peace with dynamic, yet balanced, forces at work beneath the surface.