Balance in Photography - Your Take?

Nikon AF-S DX 18-105 f/3.5-5.6 ED VR

12/10/2025 12:25:30 AM · #1

Challenge just finished and I was either incorrect in my take on the challenge or misunderstood the concept in quite a few cases.

I thought this challenge was more about balance in an image as to the manner of composition and technique, not the physical act of actually balancing something.

The challenge description read:
Arrange the main subject and other elements within the frame of a photograph so that everything in the image has equal visual weight.

Some articles for example:
What is Balance in Photography?
Balance in Photography | Visual Education

And for the record, I have no complaints about how my entry did, I had no illusions of it reaching the higher tiers in this one.

jomari

Nikon D7000

12/10/2025 06:01:15 AM · #2

Originally posted by glad2badad:

That's the way I took it too.

Message edited by glad2badad - fix quote brackets.

jmsetzler

Sony Alpha a6000

Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 (E-mount)

12/10/2025 10:38:41 AM · #3

A pretty picture carries more weight than a challenge description... i can see that hasn't changed over time :) I see a lot of well-executed yet unappealing images in a lot of challenges that do rather well.

PennyStreet

OM System OM-5

Olympus 17mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko

12/10/2025 11:15:43 AM · #4

The challenge description asked for visual balance in the image, but maybe people didn't read it.

12/10/2025 11:24:58 AM · #5

Originally posted by PennyStreet:

The challenge description asked for visual balance in the image, but maybe people didn't read it.

There are two groups that should read the descriptions; those submitting an entry, and those voting on entries.

Every once-in-a-while we add some twists to the descriptions that could impact the outcomes (used to be more of them but there are still a couple on the books now).

Not always, but most of the time, you'll find the Open challenges run on Wednesdays to be more of a technical or learning concept. That's intentional.

... and yes, frequently we'll run challenges with no description at all (usually those that are more Conceptual).

MargaretNet

Sony DSC-RX100 VII

12/10/2025 11:28:55 AM · #6

Originally posted by jmsetzler:

Not always, look at Authority challenge, not that many pretty images except for Barbara's conductor ;)

12/10/2025 11:31:42 AM · #7

Originally posted by MargaretNet:

Originally posted by jmsetzler:
A pretty picture carries more weight than a challenge description... i can see that hasn't changed over time :) I see a lot of well-executed yet unappealing images in a lot of challenges that do rather well.
Not always, look at Authority challenge, not that many pretty images except for Barbara's conductor ;)

You better be careful. Those knives the Bear is holding look pretty sharp! :-)

MargaretNet

Sony DSC-RX100 VII

12/10/2025 01:32:58 PM · #8

Originally posted by MargaretNet:

I actually will qualify that. It is not that Barbara's image is pretty, it is the conductor :)