Make Great Art: How To Restore True Balance In Your Life
True balance in life expressed in this Hindu temple entrance, Bali.
This photo showcases a temple entrance on the beautiful island of Bali. Situated within a large outdoor complex, the statues and plaques at the entrance to the temple help to illustrate true balance represented through Bali’s unique version of Hinduism.
True balance can be explored in great art, particularly art that’s constructed around elements of composition such as symmetry, repetition, rhythm, unity, pattern and, of course, balance.
While a beautiful site to visit my primary motivation for making photos at the temple complex was to construct a series of pictures that would stand as studies in composition.
Just look at how the color, shapes and structures in the scene fit together with such cohesion. The architecture is artfully designed around the notion true balance, and my photo was created to document that fact.
The Beauty Of True Balance And Symmetry In Great Art
Can you see how carefully designed this image actual is? Look at the almost mirror-like effect when comparing elements from either side of the photo.
The stone statues, the plaques on the wall and the ornate decorations on the door are all perfectly balanced and symmetrical in design.
It’s a really great expression of the notion of true balance.
No doubt this very deliberate design aspect is there to provide the impression of harmony and balance in the architecture and, by extension, through aherence to the doctrine and practices found within Hinduism.
To remain true to this concept I employed a tripod for absolute control over the composition and, thereby, ensured that overall balance and symmetry was maintained in the final photo.
True Balance and Healing On The Island of the Gods
Bali is a favorite holiday destination for Australians, many of whom return again and again. My visit was at the end of a tough 9-week photography trip to Asia which included Thailand, China and India.
I became very ill in India and, while I’d made a lot of photos there with which I was really happy, it was important to me to end the trip on a positive note. And that meant restoring a degree of true balance in my life.
As soon as I was well enough to fly I made my way to Bangkok for a few days rest as well as a regime of extensive examination and treatment at the excellent Bumrungrad International Hospital.
Once I was confident I was on the road to recovery I took the short Bangkok to Bali flight and headed onto Ubud, in the Balinese interior, with the aim of renewing body and mind, prior to heading back home to my busy life in Australia.
It was a good plan. I recovered my health and energy quicker than expected and even managed a few days of local travel and photography before my flight home.
I must say I was particularly well looked after by the great staff at Kajane Mua in Bali, where I stayed.
It’s ironic, having traveled to 25 countries (in addition to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island), some on numerous occasions, that it took me so long to get to Bali.
After all, being close to Australia and with a reputation for hospitality, Bali has long been a favorite destination for Aussie travelers.
It’s only because I was so ill and unprepared to finish my trip on such a low note, that I choose to seek balance and renewal in the Islands Of The Gods.
It proved to be the right decision. Bali was a revelation and a great way to finish what had been a very creative, but physically and mentally tough multi-country journey.
Bali is the perfect place to restore body and mind and, as a result, restore true balance in your life.
I can’t wait until I return.
Make great art by using color to express true balance in life.
Pay Attention To Color When You Make Color Photos
It’s interesting how the concept of balance can be brought into an image.
You’ll notice the yellow, orange and red hues throughout the main photos in this post. With no cool colors present these images can be described as being based around a harmonious color palette.
It’s this lack of contrasting (i.e., warm and cool) colors that works to quieten the image and produce a relatively restful result.
And that's despite the fact that red and yellow are considered to be fairly dynamic colors.
Rather than contrast being achieved with the addition of cool colors such as blue, aqua and turquoise, the architecture relies on the following, more subtle ways to achieve a sense of contrast in the scene.
differences in brightness (i.e., tonality) between similar colors placed next to each other
differences in shapes present within the scene
the actual physical space between the front pillars and the doors and windows
the contrast between the relatively smooth brickwork and the pronounced textures within the intricatively carved doors and windows
Make Great Art By Composing Your Photos Around Color
My tip, when it comes to being able to make great art through the medium of color photography, is to seek out color and consider how best to use it in your photos.
This is important when dealing with color in any of the following forms:
Harmonious color
Contrasting color
Highly saturated color
Pastel color rendition
If color is not an important aspect of your composition your photo is unlikely to be a successful color image. It’s really that simple.
Make great art by exploring true balance found in banal subject matter.
True Balance Can Be Found Almost Anywhere
It’s always great fun to be out and about making photos of the world around us, whether we’re at home or traveling to exotic locations around the world.
Even when traveling around Bali, one of the world’s most exotic locations, don’t dismiss the beauty that can be found in the most mundane or banal subject matter.
Most of us respond intuitively to what we see. Most folks are drawn to photograph something without actually thinking about it, at anything other than a basic level.
That was certainly the case with this scene of barrels arranged, somewhat haphazardly, by the side of the road in Ubud on the beautiful island of Bali.
There’s no doubt I was initially drawn to the colors and shapes within this scene, but also the relationships between them.
The notion of true balance and finding a way to showcase it was the driving factor for me making this photo. And that’s despite the strange looks I received from onlookers passing by.
There are four colors present within this scene. The pink barrel in the foreground is flanked or framed by two vivid green colored barrels.
Pink is close to the color magenta on the color wheel, and magenta is the direct opposite of the color green. That’s why the color contrast in these foreground barrels is so apparent.
Likewise, the red interior of the barrels stacked on top of each other in the background of the image contrasts beautifully with the aqua or cyan color painted around the outside of the barrels.
Again, cyan and red are situated directly opposite each other on the color wheel, providing another powerful and dynamic color contrast within the photo.
Making Great Art Will Uncover The Artist Behind The Camera
One of the key differences that an artist brings to the table is their ability to consider the world about them at a deeper level.
In particular the artist asks the question why?
“Art is not so much about providing answers as it is about asking questions.”
Furthermore, the role of the documentary artist in photography is not to judge, but to discover, examine and report what they see to a larger audience or community.
Ultimately, any inherent truth revealed in the art is for the individual viewer to determine.
The artist’s views and personal beliefs certainly matter. But the success and relevance of their work, together with any meaning derived, is determined by others.
So it has always been, and so shall it continue to be.
If you want to tap into your own artistic nature you should begin to ask yourself why, more often.
When It’s Time To Travel
True Balance Through Travel
I can absolutely recommend a holiday in Bali.
If, like me, you’re more interested in landscape and culture you’d be wise avoiding the hedonistic tourism mecca of Kuta.
Instead, consider heading up to Ubud, a lovely town in the uplands of Bali. It’s a truly lovely location to soothe the mind and pamper the body.
An extended stay in the travel mecca of Bali really is a great way to restore true balance in your life.
The lush landscape and temples around Ubud are well worth exploring. They’ll provide wonderful content, both natural and man made, and inspiration from which you’ll be able to make great art on your journey exploring the beautiful and culturally rich island of Bali.
