Symmetry In Photography: The Definitive Guide
Symmetry in photography showcased in statues and window frame, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Symmetry is a great way for photographers to create visually pleasing and well balanced images. My research has discovered the presence of vertical, horizontal, radial and reflective symmetry in nature, architecture and the human form.
Symmetry in photography creates a sense of harmony and visual cohesion where well structured composition produces an image displaying aesthetically pleasing proportion and balance. Symmetry is achieved when two almost identical halves of an image seem equal in balance and importance.
Symmetry has been understood and appreciated since ancient times. Loved by the Greeks and a major element of composition in photography you’ll find symmetry incorporated into our contemporary world in a wide variety of areas, including the following:
Formal garden design
Furniture
Architecture
Graphic Design
Art
Fashion
Table of Contents:
Achieving Symmetrical Balance in Photography
It might be helpful to think of balance as an even distribution of focal points throughout the image.
Likewise you might think of symmetry as a particularly formal type of balance where important focal points are referred to, or mirrored, so as to achieve a visually pleasing composition.
Also known as formal balance or symmetrical balance, it's not critical that either side of a photo exactly mirrors the other.
What matters is that carefully structured composition leads the viewer's attention to focal points of equal visual interest within the photo.
This is often achieved through placement of equally weighted visual elements in both halves of the photo.
Take a look at the image at the top of this post showcasing statues and a window frame in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Look how closely the statues and the alcoves they’re situated within, on the left and right of the frame, effectively mirror each other.
The same is true for those rectangular shapes along the top and bottom edges of the photo together with the individual window panes, and the frames that surround them, either side of the centre of the frame.
To be able to create similarly symmetrical images try composing a photo around a centrally placed shape or object ensuring that two identically positioned halves, either side of a central axis, mirror each other.
Through research I discovered the terms mirror line or mirror symmetry that describe this phenomenon. They refer to the line that divides two identical areas, each being a mirror reflection of the other.
Grand door, framed in stone, showcasing symmetry in photography in Bruges, Belgium.
Symmetry Improves Photo Composition
Symmetry is one way by which you can improve the composition of your photos. Put simply, symmetry allows you to transform a relatively banal scene into a visually appealing image.
Let’s take this photo of a grand door, framed in stone, in the historical old town of Bruges in Belgium as a case in point.
Rich in history and architectural splendor, I spent three days exploring the old city of Bruges. There's just so much to see and photograph as you wander from one stone cobbled street to the next.
The above photo was made just a few minutes walk from the town square in Bruges. Probably the first thing I noticed was the door knocker portraying a lion’s head.
While I like doors I realize that, to be of interest to a wider audience, this image required careful composition and a few post processing techniques.
I decided to construct a slightly more complex image with elements that held some interest in themselves and, at the same time, also visually supported the door knocker.
Closer inspection of the doorway revealed a strongly symmetrical design. I composed the image in such a way to emphasize that symmetry.
The studded surface of the door provides an extra measure of balance through the repetitive arrangement of strategically placed wooden studs.
Image processing was conducted in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. The outside edges of the image have been darkened through the addition of a vignette to draw the eye towards the door knocker in the center of the photo.
It’s true that the picture showcases a lion head door knocker on a heavy wooden frame that’s surrounded by carved stone. But closer examination reveals that the subject of the photo isn’t really the doorknob, nor the door.
The subject of this photo is actually the composition around which it was constructed. In particular I'm referring to the sense of visual balance that’s been achieved through symmetry.
And, believe me, I wouldn't say it if I didn't think it was important.
Why Is Symmetry Important In Photography?
What turns an otherwise uninteresting bowl of fruit into a brilliant still life image is the composition that underpins the photo.
The way the fruit is arranged and the relationships you’re able to explore between the individual elements of composition (e.g., colors, tones, shapes) within the image will be central to your success.
Symmetry is one way by which you can unite these individual elements into a cohesive and harmonious composition.
There's no doubt that symmetrical scenes are attractive to the eye. Though styles vary, visual perfection is at the heart of the design of formal English and French gardens.
While a slightly ramshackle and overgrown garden looks very natural, there's something very reassuring about a well ordered, formal garden.
One suggests the beauty that occurs in nature, while the other points to the human need to organize individual elements so as to achieve a sense of order.
The fact is we're drawn to visual perfection and compositions that are harmonious. Floral clocks, water fountains and row upon row of tulips are perfect examples of this kind of constructed visual harmony.
Of course the symmetry we introduce into formal gardens simply mimics what already exists in nature. Here's some examples:
Beehive
Pine cone
Nautilus shell
Sunflower
Paying attention to symmetry in the world around you is a great way to train your eye to be able to construct photos based upon symmetrical design.
When you’re out and about on a walk around town take the time to seek out and observe symmetry in the world around you.
Symmetry in the Islamic World
Man is said to have been created in the likeness of God (i.e., Allah) and, as I understand it, muslims consider it inappropriate to directly represent Allah or his likeness in a physical form.
A number of years ago I became aware of an extreme interpretation of this teaching in Afghanistan which resulted in members of the Taliban scratching pictures of other human beings off product labels on shampoo bottles and the like.
My understanding is that this belief is based upon the notion that, as humans were created in the likeness of Allah, photographic representations of people should also not be seen.
Outside of such strict interpretations the human likeness is often portrayed in photos and secular art throughout the muslim world, though not in Islamic religious art.
Nonetheless, Islamic art is beautiful to behold and deeply spiritual in nature. Rather than directly depicting people or objects Islamic art explores the meaning of existance through graphical and abstract representations of divinity and creation.
The symmetrical designs showcased inside mosques express the beauty of cosmic design in a manner that is simply sublime.
I love the fact that the repetition of individual elements within a greater work demonstrates that the infinite can find expression within an individual detail.
You only have to look at a flower or the face of a child to see this concept for yourself.
Geometric patterns are important in Islamic art and often feature prominently in mosques around the world.
The fact that geometry is said to reflect the language of the universe is a concept I suspect would receive considerable support among mathematicians, regardless of their belief system.
Have you noticed the presence of shapes, particularly circles and polygons, in Islamic art. They’re often used in repetitive patterns to create a sense of harmony, even within quite complex designs.
Circles can be used to represent the divine as they are, after all, infinite, having no beginning or end.
Alpha and Omega, as the Ancient Greeks put it.
The star shape, particularly the eight pointed star, is also a popular visual element employed in Islamic art. Known as the Khatem Sulemani, this eight pointed star is created from a circle and two squares.
Common Forms Of Symmetry In Photography
There are four common forms of symmetry favored by photographers and other visual artists. We can define them as follows:
Vertical Symmetry
Horizontal Symmetry
Reflective Symmetry
Radial Symmetry
Let’s explore these forms and expand your understanding of how to successfully incorporate symmetry into your own photography workflow.
Vertical symmetry depicting form, repetion and balance in architecture. Notre Dame Cathedral.
Vertical Symmetry In Photography
Commonly employed in architectural photography vertical symmetry is employed to emphasize important compositional elements like size, shape and form within a building, bridge or other architectural object.
Take a look at this photo of the facade around an entrance to the wonderful Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. The sense of balance and order explored within the scene is undeniable.
Now imagine drawing a vertical line down the centre of the composition. Notice how both sides of the image mirror each other.
It’s a great example of vertical symmetry which serves to echo a part of the architects original design.
Now you know how to identify vertical symmetry and how to compose a photo that showcases it. That should give you the confidence to make more visually appealing architectural images in the future.
Horizontal symmetry showcasing a large paperbark tree reflection in Kakadu, Australia.
How To Employ Horizontal Symmetry In Photography
The notion as above so below is, no doubt, over complicated by philosophers. I’ve worked hard to make sense of it for us photographers in a post titled Iceland: As Above So Below.
If you love landscape photography that’s about something more than the topography of the location depicted you’ll enjoy reading that post.
Nonetheless this concept can help describe how horizontal symmetry is used to express harmony and balance between, what you might otherwise consider to be, pairs of opposites within a photo composition.
Examples of such opposites are common and include the following:
Earth and air
Land and sky
Solid and fluid
Smooth and textured
Light and dark tones
Warm and cool colors
I photographed this lovely water reflection under late afternoon light on the Yellow Waters Cruise in Kakadu National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Water has the advantage of adding a significant sense of space and depth to an otherwise two dimensional photograph.
That’s particularly the case when the horizon is placed across or above the centre of the image.
Reflective Symmetry In Photography
Reflections are a great example of achieving balance through compositions based around symmetry.
Opportunities to create symmetrical photos exist all around us and many reflective surfaces, whether natural or man made, can be used to explore reflective symmetry.
For starters look for reflections occurring in the following places.
Lakes, ponds and other bodies of water
Glass
Shinny objects
You’ll also find reflective symmetry present in a variety of still life and abstract subject matter.
It’s important to note that, while horizontal symmetry is not dependent upon a reflection, reflective symmetry most certainly is.
Radial symmetry explored in a drinking fountain at night in Melbourne.
Exploring Radial Symmetry In Photography
This photo of a drinking fountain, illuminated by warm colored artificial light at night in the city of Melbourne, provided a great example of radial symmetry.
Just look at all those circles, large and small, through the image.
Radial symmetry is easy to spot in photography. Look for the repetition of circular shapes within images of green grocer fruit displays, ripples on the surface of water and in the face of a flower.
While a nautilus shell is my favorite example of radial symmetry, images of sunflowers also rank highly in my memory.
Likewise, stairwells photographed from either a worms eye viewpoint or a birds eye viewpoint are great examples of radial symmetry.
Think for a moment about a wheel or a series of barrels turned on their sides. The notion of the circle should be front and centre in your mind when photographing these objects.
In doing so you’d be making a photo where the composition is based around radial symmetry.
See how easy it is?
Equipment For Better Symmetry Photos
It’s true that you don't need the most expensive camera kit and you can use any camera, including the camera in your smartphone, to make great photos that explore symmetry in photography.
However, a DSLR or mirrorless camera that’s mounted on a tripod would provide ultimate control by making it easier to create a highly structured composition that displays enhanced sharpness.
Composition is a key element in most photos and it’s fair to say that it’s particularly important to strive for highly structured composition when photographing images that are based around symmetry.
Slowly down and taking care with your composition will improve the symmetry in your photos.
If you’re going to use a tripod it's always a good idea, to further decrease the chance of camera shake, to trigger the camera remotely.
You can do this with a cable release or, with some cameras, via a mobile app from your smartphone.
The use of reflectors, diffusers or flash could be useful for certain types of still life or nature based images.
However, most photos that explore symmetry in their composition would only require a decent camera and, where appropriate, a sturdy tripod.
Lens choice is, of course, dependent upon the subject matter and genre, and also upon the intentions underpinning your exploration of the scene or subject in question.
As a general rule wide angle focal lengths are preferred for the following types of photography:
Landscape photography
Architectural photography
Likewise, telephoto lenses are most often employed when photographing the following:
Still life photography
Nature photography
Wildlife photography
Artificial Symmetry in Photography
Photography is always changing, most recently with the incorporation of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in post processing applications like Luminar from Skylum or Adobe Photoshop.
While it's not a part of my own workflow the incorporation of skies and reflections, from one photo into another, will become much more commonly acceptable over coming years.
And the fact that the sky in question, or its reflection in a body of water, may not have come from your own camera is going to be part of the new paradigm in photography.
By helping to direct attention to key elements within the frame cropping is a really effective way to increase the sense of symmetry in a photo through post processing.
Both Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop offer great cropping tools that are used by photographers as part of their normal workflow.
Trees in snow illustrating symmetry in nature on Huangshan mountain in China.
Symmetry in Nature Photography
I photographed this stand of trees in deep snow on the side of a mountain in the Huangshan (i.e., Yellow Mountain) region of Eastern China.
Notice how much care I took to ensure the symmetry underpinning this photo. You can follow a roughly triangular journey from the back left to the centre and then through to the back right of the image.
I can tell you that being knee deep in snow on a steep incline made it extremely difficult to find the perfect place to position my tripod to create this image. But I finally managed to and I’m really happy with the result.
You might also notice the triangle formed in the very centre of the image. I achieved this by positioning the camera so that the distant background tree is visible between the two trees in the very front of the image.
Sunflowers are an example from nature that feature radial symmetry. The seeds embedded within a sunflower also adhere to a kind of symmetry based around a particular numerical formula known as the Fibonacci sequence.
Based around a series of numbers, where each number is determined by adding the two preceding numbers together, the Fibonacci sequence reads as follows:
1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, etc
Many plants have petals, leaves or seeds found within the Fibonacci sequence. But the Fibonacci sequence also appears in animals, such as the nautilus, where their shell often grows at a rate appropriate to the Fibonacci sequence.
By adhering to the Fibonacci sequence the shape of the shell of the nautilus stays in proportion throughout their life.
Line directs the eye and divides the image through vertical symmetry.
How To Use Lines To Create Symmetry In your Photos
Lines are a great way to explore symmetry in your photos.
As a way of demonstrating this fact let’s explore the above photo of Marly Palace in the grounds of the fabulous Peterhof Summer Palace near St. Petersburg, Russia.
Notice how the leading lines in the footbridge and railings direct attention to Marly Palace, the most important point of interest (i.e., focal point) within the image.
Notice too how these same leading lines serve to enhance the sense of space and depth in the image.
While we perceive the world around us in three dimensions, photos have only two dimensions: height and width.
One of the challenges photographers face is imbuing a photo will a sense of depth, the missing dimension. We do this in a number of ways, one of which is by incorporating leading lines into the composition.
As was the case with this photo of Marly Palace, wide angle lenses are also used to add a sense of depth to our photos. I’ve written a really interesting post on this subject titled How To Use A Wide Angle Lens.
Here’s a few examples from the natural world of where lines become the basis on which symmetrical photos can be produced.
Trees
Horizon
Waves
Linear sand dunes
Likewise, with a little effort, it’s easy to find lines occurring in the man made world from which to create visually dynamic photo compositions. Here’s a few examples:
Roads
Railway lines
Bridges
Pathways
Symmetrical Lines and Spots in Animal Photography
Close up images of animals featuring the strips and spots on their coats are a great way to explore the use of line to produce symmetrical images.
Think about the repetitive nature of those lines on the coats of zebras or the distinctive spots on a cheetah and how well they’re suited to close up abstract images based around symmetry.
Water ripple study comprising asymmetrical balance, pattern and the rule of thirds.
What Is Asymmetrical Balance In Photography?
Also known as informal balance, asymmetrical balance is a more complex form of composition compared to symmetrical balance.
As a result, it can be more difficult to find a sense of structure in a photo that’s underpinned by asymmetrical balance.
Symmetrical images are composed around well balanced focal points, reflections or the mirroring of equal parts of an object on either side of the frame.
Conversely, asymmetrical balance occurs when elements with different degrees of visual weight, placed on opposite sides of an image, somehow find balance with each other.
For example, a small object in the near foreground of a photo can be balanced with a larger object in the background.
This is a function of perception that allows us to perceive foreground objects as being larger than they are in reality.
This phenomenon is exaggerated with great effect when a wide angle lens is used, up close, in landscape photography.
It’s where, for example, a rock or a small grouping of flowers in the foreground can visually balance a larger individual object, like a mountain top, in the distant background.
I find it interesting that balance can be achieved in an asymmetrical photo through the relationship of often dissimilar objects.
The trick is to balance otherwise disparate elements within the frame. You can achieve this by juxtaposing focal points that, while inherently different to each other, are similar in one or more of the following ways:
Brightness
Color
Shape
Texture
Size (whether perceived or actual)
Asymmetrical balance can also be achieved by positioning the primary focal point off center and/or on the rule of thirds.
This photo of ripples formed on the surface of the Expedition Pass Reservoir near the small town of Chewton in Central Victoria, Australia is an interesting example of asymmetry in photography.
The repetition of the highly textured ripples contrast with the seemingly impenetrable negative space on the bottom left corner of the image.
The fact that the horizon, positioned roughly along the rule of thirds, runs diagonally is unusual and adds extra interest to the image.
I think it’s a good example of how an asymmetrical composition can hold the viewer’s attention by bringing a sense of visual tension to an image.
Is Symmetry More Attractive Than Asymmetry?
Those born with highly symmetrical faces are considered to be attractive. This fact is said to be particularly true in female faces.
Conversely, asymmetrical faces are considered, by many, to be less attractive.
Nonetheless, I’m reminded that love is in the eye of the beholder. So there’s still hope for me.
Many animals have perfectly symmetrical faces, which makes them both cute and ideal subjects for photos based around vertical symmetry.
Think of the face of a panda or a koala as examples. The opportunity to create a close up, front on, image of these beautiful animals is not to be missed.
Perhaps your local zoo houses a panda or koala exhibit. Zoos offer a fun, inexpensive and safe way to photograph these beautiful animals and further explore your new understanding of symmetry in photography.
I’ve written a very accessible and descriptive post titled Zoo Photography: The Guide which will help you make the most of your adventure.
Conclusion: Symmetry Brings Order To A World Of Chaos
Symmetry is all around us. You’ll find it in the arrangement of petals around a flower, in formally organized gardens, magnificent architectural structures and in the face of an attractive individual.
When you’re out and about photographing the urban environment, whether looking for candid street moments or architectural photography opportunities, try to keep an eye out for symmetry.
Likewise, look to emphasize the structural perfection within an attractive face in your portrait or animal photos.
As demonstrated in the pictures within this post, symmetry can be the single most important element of composition in a photograph.
Symmetry allows you to introduce a sense of order into a world of chaos. By doing so your photos become not just cohesive and harmonious compositions, but also metaphors of order, balance and harmony.
That’s no small thing in a world that can seem bereft of such fundamental aspects of civilization and psychological maturity.
It’s the combination of the two, composition and metaphor, that can elevate a photo from snapshot to art.
Have no doubt, paying attention to symmetry will improve your composition and make you a better photographer.
