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Noticing symmetry and small differences
Find paired shapes and enjoy the small differences between them.
Satsuki Yatoji of X/1999 manga · Photograph: Yenra · Credit: Brie-chan Cosplay
Captured: 2013:08:08 21:56:03
Paired shapes can give a photograph a sense of balance. Imagine a line through an arrangement and follow the edges on either side. Some may seem to answer each other; others may take a different direction. Those small variations give you more to discover as you look.
Follow the paired shapes
Brie-chan Cosplay holds an orange cape wide in this portrait of Satsuki Yatoji. The fabric spreads to both sides of the figure, offering two broad shapes to compare. Begin near the shoulders and trace each outer edge toward the hands.
The shapes resemble each other without matching exactly. Folds gather differently, and the surrounding architecture sits off center. A partial reflection appears in the dark table below. Keep looking through the whole frame: the cape supplies a paired arrangement within surroundings that have their own divisions and details.
Symmetry is about corresponding shapes across an imagined line. A subject placed near the center can help you find that line, but central placement alone does not establish symmetry. Ask which edges or areas actually seem to answer one another. You might notice two broad triangles, repeated curves, or similar spaces beside a figure.
Notice where the two sides vary
Inuyasha · Photograph: Yenra
Captured: 2013:08:09 17:31:34
The feet-apart stance and red clothing in this Inuyasha portrait create corresponding shapes on either side of the figure. Follow the outline of the clothing, then notice the head, folded arms, and individual folds. They introduce differences within the broader arrangement.
The turquoise water and the details behind the person add another layer. Your imagined line can help you compare parts of the picture while still enjoying everything that does not repeat. A slight turn or an unequal fold can become a point of interest.
For a small experiment, choose two familiar objects with similar outlines. Two spoons or leaves offer an easy beginning. Arrange them on either side of an imagined line and make a photograph with some space around them. Look at both the objects and the shapes of the gaps between them.
Find a shared shape between people
Wonderful Rush Cosplay · Photograph: Yenra
Captured: 2013:08:10 18:59:27
These two people in white-and-blue Wonderful Rush costumes lean toward each other with their hands joined. The connection gives you a place to begin following the paired arrangement. The clothing and leaning figures echo one another, while hair colors, leg positions, and smaller folds vary.
You can describe those visible relationships without needing the two sides to become identical. Follow a line from one shoulder toward the joined hands, then explore the corresponding line on the other side. Notice where your eye continues and where a difference invites you to pause.
Return to your objects and turn or move one slightly. Make a second photograph, then compare what the small change adds. Perhaps the gap becomes more interesting, or one edge now points toward the other object. Keep a sentence about the arrangement you enjoy. That observation gives you a useful starting point for another experiment.
Look back with curiosity.
- Which shapes seem to answer each other across the picture?
- Where do the two sides differ?
- What did the small change add to the arrangement?
Keep exploring
Noticing centered compositions · Balancing subjects and space · Photographing people together
Browse the complete Otakon 2013 gallery.