CEE’S COMPOSE YOURSELF PHOTO CHALLENGE: WEEK #14 Symmetry

This week’s Compose Yourself Photo Challenge (CCY) Theme is Symmetry. As of January 2016, this challenge runs on the 2nd and 4th week of each month. Challenges will be open for two weeks.

For your weekly assignment I would like to see at least 4-6 photos of photos taken with symmetry in mind. Please described what you learned in this lesson as well.

Each week I will select several features from everyone who submits an entry. And from those posts that I feature, I will grant one blogger the Gold Star Award. To find out who was awarded the Gold Star Award and Features for this week, please see CCY Features Week #13 Perspective.

Note: Participants who do not have at least 4 photo showing their attempt at this week’s topic in their post will not be featured nor be considered for the Gold Star Award.

Essay

To start off with I thought I show the dictionary definition of Symmetry.

sym·me·try\ˈsi-mə-trē\ noun

the quality of something that has two sides or halves that are the same or very close in size, shape, and position

the quality of having symmetrical parts

balanced proportion

beauty of form arising from balanced proportions

Synonyms: balance, coherence, proportion, harmony, unity

A love of symmetry is something that is hard-wired into our brains. We crave balance and harmony. It’s how we define beautiful people. Look at any woman the world considers to be beautiful and you will see that the left half of her face looks almost exactly like the right half.

Using symmetry in your photography can lend interest to your pictures by making them more subconsciously beautiful to your viewer’s eye. It can elevate your subject matter, if done correctly. For example, I shot this bridge from any number of different angles, but this angle used symmetry to emphasize the soaring supports and their gothic cathedral line.

Symmetry shows off the classic line of cars as well. Look at the sweep of this Shelby’s hood, or the commanding elegance of this roadster.

Even the mundane can look more interesting, as this shot of my pug contemplating her chew stick demonstrates.

Using symmetry with landscapes expands the scope of the picture, as you can see from this shot looking down a stone staircase and out into a vast winter landscape rolling out for miles and miles, over city to the mountains beyond.

This restaurant looks interesting shot using symmetry, doesn’t it? Much more interesting than a flat view of one side of it would have been.

So far we’ve been looking at vertical symmetry, where the line of symmetry that divides the two halves runs up and down, vertically through the picture. You can also shoot with horizontal symmetry, as we see with this light and its reflection. The line of symmetry runs horizontally, dividing the picture into an upper and lower half.

Horizontal symmetry can be used wonderfully well with landscapes that show buildings or natural features reflected in the water. Unfortunately, I can’t find any good examples in my archives, so I’m hoping that someone will volunteer one as an example.