Balance is a good thing for a photographer to keep in mind because it makes the pictures look more stable and complete. If one side of the picture has a lot of dark stuff going on, it can be hard to stay in the picture because it is so unbalanced. But if there is some light also coming in and making it look more complete, the viewer will stay in longer. Some different types of balance include color balance, tonal balance, symmetric balance and asymmetric balance.
These two pictures have color balance. The one on the left doesn’t show it quite as much because the colors are still pretty muted, but the brown does pop out from the white. The one on the right has color because the bright purple flowers contrast against the more neutral pumpkins.
These two pictures have conceptual balance both of them include technology against the backdrop of nature. In the first one, my car is set against both the bush and the tree in the foreground and also the trees in the background. In the second one, my laptop is in the middle of the grass with the leaves and creek behind it.
These two pictures show tonal balance because they both have light and dark areas. The one on the left has a lot of dark at the bottom of the picture, but at the top the viewer can see outside and it is lighter. The left one has the black door frame offset by the grass and sky outside.
These two pictures are trying to show symmetrical balance. The one on the left doesn’t show it as well because the leaves don’t go in a pattern. The one on the right is my favorite picture because it shows the flowers symmetry. It also draws the eye to the center of the flower. I also like it because you can see the flowers in the back and that provides context.