Create Order And Balance In Your Photos
Ornately decorated pathway leads to a beautiful Hindu Shrine in Bali, Indonesia.
I was drawn to the sense of order and balance evident in the design of this lovely Hindu shrine in rural Bali, Indonesia.
I remember taking quite a bit of time setting up my camera and tripod to emphasize the symmetry of design within the structure.
The Duality Of Order And Chaos
There were so many foreign tourists visiting the complex that parts of the site were actually quite chaotic.
That fact seemed so much in contrast with the notion of cosmic order around which the shrine was designed that I decided to make a photo to set things right.
“In art you often have to get past fact to explore truth.
In doing so you create your own reality.”
It’s an interesting notion that to create a personal truth or to explore a particular theme, message or meaning photography, by necessity, is a fiction.
It’s just one of the ways that photography, as art, is akin to painting.
Composition is the tool we use to construct the world we want to create in the photos we make.
Overly complex images rarely engage viewer attention. With that in mind I decided to employ composition to quieten the image down and make it easier to navigate.
The easiest way to do so was to exclude other visitors to the shrine by framing out most of the surrounding environment.
The idea was simple. I wanted to concentrate attention on the notion of order and balance so clearly part of the design underpinning this lovely shrine.
Color Relationships and Great Composition
The dominant color in this image is orange, a symbolically important color in Hindu religion.
Holy men and religious ascetics are associated with the color orange in Hinduism. That’s because wearing the color symbolizes the quest for light.
Given that light is the fundamental concept behind photography (i.e., light writing), perhaps I’II invest in some orange clothing.
Besides, I like orange. It’s such a positive color and it reminds me of summer. And in Melbourne, where I reside, winter is such a predominantly grey time of year.
You may notice how the little splash of orange in the foreground motif on the pathway leading to the shrine ties in with the rich orange color of the main structure.
The cool green color of the grass and surrounding foliage provides a nice color contrast which further enhances the vibrant nature of the orange painted structure.
All Hail Symmetry, Pattern And Repetition
This is a very symmetrical scene. Notice the pattern on the foreground motif and the steps that lead to the shrine door.
Symmetry and, for that matter duality, is also evident in the repetition of dark against light in the stone pathway and steps which help lead the eye, and the pilgrim, upwards towards the shrine.
I love how those tiny morsels of orange color lead the eye, like breadcrumbs, along and upwards to the orange colored facade of the shrine.
The dominant religion on Bali is Hinduism. Given that the color orange symbolizes the quest for light in Hinduism, I wonder if the shrine has been constructed, at least in part, to move the pilgrim towards the light of truth.
Do Your Photos Explore Message And Meaning?
Notice also the individual decorative elements around the shrine. They are in sets of two that serve to mirror each other.
What a perfect way to emphasize the notion of balance and harmony.
No doubt there is some esoteric reason for this. While I’ve long had an interest in the concept of dualities (i.e., opposites), this structure seems to deal more with the notion of pairs, perhaps even of sameness.
As I take the time to deconstruct the image, I’m wondering why that seems to be the case.
How to Celebrate Symmetry
This image of a Hindu shrine in Bali is very much about detail and information. The image has been assembled around symmetry, which is an important element in composition.
I employed a 28 mm focal length on a full frame Canon 5D Mark II camera to make this image.
I chose that focal length to include the foreground motif and also to slightly stretch the perspective so as to extend the sense of journey, both physical and metaphorical, between it and the doorway.
To ensure critical sharpness I secured the camera to my Really Right Stuff tripod, employed critical focusing and an aperture of f/11 to achieve relative sharpness throughout the image.
I’m always careful to pay attention to composition when making photos.
What’s more I think composition is particularly important in architectural photography and when the very nature of what you’re exploring revolves around notions such as symmetry, order and balance.
