8-12-2019
Hello Readers,
Have some black and white photos to use up.
Had them ready for a blog break last spring. That never worked out because I didn’t take the break and instead promoted Lady by the River book – woo hoo.
Anyhow, I have an idea for how to use up these photos (thinking of Helen with this idea…)
I chose some photos from the batch and will connect them to thoughts on balance in design.
Ready?
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BALANCE IN DESIGN
BALANCE REFERS TO VISUAL WEIGHT THAT HAS EQUAL DISTRIBUTION
Four types of balance in design: SYMMETRICAL, ASYMMETRICAL, RADIAL, & ALLOVER
Balanced or unbalanced elements in a photo (or in any visual art) does not mean good or bad – it has to do with artist preference – on what they choose to create or photograph – and the horizontal and vertical placement within the composition.
Sometimes UNBALANCED can be really interesting. Other times not.
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ONE: SYMMETRICAL BALANCE

SYMMETRICAL BALANCE REFERS TO USING SIMILAR SHAPES ON EITHER SIDE OF A VERTICAL LINE. THIS IS THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF BALANCE TO IDENTIFY. THE SAME ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CENTER AXIS. THIS PERFECT BALANCE IN SYMMETRY CAN OFTEN BE SEEN IN BUILDINGS AND CAN BE QUITE STATIC IN SOME ART.
TWO: ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE
ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE REFERS TO NOT HAVING ELEMENTS THE SAME ON BOTH SIDES BUT THERE IS A perceived sense of balance BY PLACING DISSIMILAR ELEMENTS ON CERTAIN SIDES IT PROVIDES A SENSE OF BALANCE IN THE MIND. THIS ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE IS ACHIEVED THROUGH THE USE OF VALUE AND COLOR. THERE CAN BE DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SHADES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CENTER AXIS.
THE NEXT SIX ARE
ALL CONNECTING TO
RADIAL BALANCE
THREE: RADIAL BALANCE

RADIAL BALANCE REFERS TO HAVING ELEMENTS ARRANGED AROUND A CENTRAL POINT. ELEMENTS RADIATE OR CIRCLE OUT FROM A CENTER POINT. RADIAL PATTERNS ARE PLENTIFUL IN NATURE. AND IN SOME CULTURES – RADIAL BALANCE IN ART CONNECTS TO SPIRITUALITY AND SOMETIMES RITUALS THAT CONNECT TO UNITY AND CONNECTEDNESS. MODERN WESTERN ART HAS LESS PURE RADIAL DESIGNS.






FOUR: ALL OVER BALANCE
(CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC BALANCE)

4) ALLOVER BALANCE (ALSO CALLED CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC BALANCE) REFERS TO HAVING ELEMENTS PLACED WITH AN EQUAL PLACEMENT ALL OVER THE COMPOSITION.
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I have some more of these black and white photos to use up so I will have another “design-themed” post coming later.
And here is a closing comic relating to life balance:

Have a great day and thanks for viewing…
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There are some very nice monochromes here, and it was a nice idea to relate them to information about balance in design. My favorite is that Florida photo – the lilies, they’re beautiful.
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Thanks so much – you would not believe how run down of a place that was where I grabbed the photo –
I looked down and remembered how easy it is easy for things to grow in Florida
Thanks for the visit
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Very nice, Yvette.
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Thanks dan
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I have new ways to think of “balance” now, thanks to your post. Your photo example of “asymmetrical balance” really draws me in. 🙂
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Thanks so much 😊🦋
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Nice pictures about symmetry and asymmetry . The real pictures do not have clear cut between them. The symmetry all over don’t have symmetry at the macro scale (I like that kind of symmetry though).
Your cartoon is very funny and it is true but I have answer about driving back and forth to work. One the way to work, I think about work. One the way back from work, I think about work 🙂
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Hi yellow cable – my friend – thanks for your comment (because as usual you helped me improve the post- )
I just went back and fixed it a bit to make it clearer
This was not a post about symmetry and asymmetry –
Especially because I did not even have a photo for symmetry
This post talks about the four types of balance and symmetry and asymmetry are only
two of the four – the other are radial and all over.
My post is mostly “radial” balance because that is what I have in the photos waiting
I almost did a post just on radial balance with those six photos – but then my teacher side thought
– “why not mention where radial balance fits in with the four from design basics.
—
And your comment was funny about the comic – i usually have music or a podcast going – not munch thinking
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I have to admit. I do the same. I mostly turn music on but recently I listen to NPR more. Work thinking comes when I was going to work as part of planing for the day and when there are problems to figure out.
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A well balanced post 🙂
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That was a nice play on words (ting!)
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🙂
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Ooh! Those are some sweet captures! Haha! I like the cartoon, but I don’t think about work when I’m home.
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Glad you don’t think about work when home – ahhhh
And thanks for leaving a comment – can you leave a link to
Your blog – your gravatar is not active and I don’t have you come up in my reader
😉
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You’re welcome, Yvette! I think the image rating is too high. I’ll try to work on it soon. Thanks again for the reminder and here’s the link:
https://lapetitmuse.wordpress.com/
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Hello again, Yvette. I replied earlier, but not sure it came through. Thanks again for reminding me of the non-active gravatar. I think it’s fixed now. 💙
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Nice!!
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Thanks
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You are welcome 🙏
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Thank you for sharing this! I have learned a lot! 😀 I think that I have used a few of these balances in my photos, but dit not even know about it!
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thanks A – and that is the cool thing about photographers and painters/drawers – they do things instantly and later see this and that – ahhhhh
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👍🌻
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Nice compositions
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thanks
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A person wouldn’t think so, but these flowers look pretty good in black and white 😀
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thanks C, and you are right – prt of the beauty of flowers is the color – ahhhh
and maybe that is why to use these in a post I felt led to connect to the design basics of balance – because the mono allows us to feel visual weight and the elements in a different way
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I love black and white photos. As with movies, it’s up to us to bring color to the medium in order to fill it in. I just always found black and white photos to be more interactive.
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I didn’t know about the four types of balance in photography. Nor did I know about Trader Joe’s flower donations. These are all good things to know. I love #3. The lines and shades of gray seem perfect to me.
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Hi ally -thacks for chiming in – cheers to #3 – it was a run down kinda place in FL and also winter – and when I saw those blooms I was reminded that while I never want to live full time in FLa (did three times) I love to visit because it has so much beauty year round – well I guess many places do also – the natural beauty just changes – anyhow….
and I think Kroger grocery stores and other big chains (in addition to Trader Joe’s) also donate the flowers too –
and whew –
around the holidays it is super fun – like there are times when all tables or mantles have vases – after easter – after Mother’s Day –
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Monochromes have a unique charm …….. loved the captures shared. and Yes the comic strip at the end is so relatable to most 🙂
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thanks so much – and I do admit that too much monochrome gives me fatigue – ha
and thanks for taking the time to chime in here
🙂
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Your flowers in black and white are beautiful. You can really see the detail.
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thanks Lisa – I processed a bunch of floral images to use on a blog pause – but that never worked out –
but I had fun that day doing it – it was in march and I called it “monochrome madness” because match madness basketball was going on
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love that! monochrome madness! May use it one day 🙂
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🙂
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I like the B&W photos Yvette – they are stunning. I smiled at the cartoon at the end as well. I didn’t know about the geranium’s oils and benefits and I wonder why I’ve never heard about Trader Joe’s donations of unsold flowers to retirement homes before – what a thoughtful gesture.
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Hi Linda – well maybe not all Trader Joe’s do this – but they do it here.
🙂
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That is very nice of them Yvette – a bunch of flowers will make those seniors’ days – heck, a bunch of flowers makes anyone smile. We don’t have Trader Joe’s around where I live.
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you are so right – flowers brings smiles
and I did think of you when I saw some “silk flowers” last week – still so pretty
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Nice study! I’m loving the light colored mums, but the radial images all collected are VERY pleasing to my eyes. I love circles ❤
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thanks so much Joey – it really was nice to read.
Because in my media folder here on WP – I had like 35 black and white photos that I did not know how to share in a post – and this was an idea that seemed to work – I could just have deleted them – but well…
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