Principles of Design
and
Photography
 The principles of design help us organize and arrange
the elements of art in our photographs.
 Unlike, the elements of art which can clearly be seen,
the principles of design are more abstract. They are
concepts which we will use to guide the arrangement
of objects in our artwork.
Pattern
 By repeating the elements of art (lines, shapes, colors,
etc...), patterns are created.
Balance
 Balance is the appearance of equal visual weight in a
photograph.
 There are 3 main types of balance; Symmetrical,
Asymmetrical and Radial.
 Symmetrical Balance- sometimes described as a mirror
image composition.
 Asymmetrical Balance- objects appear to be balanced
but nothing is centered in the picture frame.
 One way to achieve this is by using the Rule of Thirds.
This is when a photographer divides the picture space
into equal thirds, both horizontally and vertically,
creating a grid. By placing the main objects of the
photograph at the intersections of these lines, you will
create a pleasing composition.
 Radial Balance- balance that occurs when objects are
reflected around a central point of a photograph.
 Radial Balance can create a very energetic composition
indicating forceful movement.
Unity
 Unity is when the individual parts of your photograph
come together to support each other.
 To be unified elements must relate to each other
through their subject matter, appearance, size, texture
or color.
 When unity is overdone, your photographs can appear
boring, with nothing to grab and hold the viewer’s
attention.
Variety
 Variety has to do with using diverse art elements in
your photography.
 As opposed to unity, where many elements are similar,
variety focuses on using many different types of
elements in your photographs.
 Be careful: adding too much variety to a composition
can become chaotic and be distracting to viewers.
 Variety can be created by the objects, subjects, colors,
textures and shapes in your photographs.
 Variety can also be created by the emotions and
associations included in your photographs. Including
a variety of figures, expressing many different
emotions (anger, joy, sorrow and fear) in one single
photographic composition would be just one way to
incorporate variety, sparking interest and curiosity
from viewers.
Movement
 There are two types of movement in photography, real
and implied.
 Shutter speed controls how much movement and time
you capture in your photographs. The slower the
shutter speed, compared to the speed of the subject,
the more blurred image you will create, creating a
sense of movement. The faster your shutter moves,
compared to the speed of your subject, the more clear
the image will be, capturing a single, frozen instant in
time. Because of this, sports photographers often use
the fastest shutter speed possible.
 Movement can also refer to how someone’s eyes move
through your photographs. Viewer’s eye’s tend to
follow lines through the composition of a photograph.
 Our eyes are also drawing to the largest and brightest
areas in an image. By placing the largest and brightest
objects in specific areas of your composition, you can
control where the viewer’s eyes will move.
Rhythm
 Rhythm is another type of visual movement in
photography.
 Rhythm is created by an organized repetition of the
elements of art such as colors, lines, and shapes.
Emphasis
 One of the most important decisions you need to
make as a photographer is to determine what your
photograph will be about, and what the emphasis will
be.
 This will help to clearly communicate to your viewers
your main ideas, and help the viewers find a focal
point in your images.
 One way to create emphasis on your subject is to get
closer to the focal point, and make it bigger than all
other elements in the photograph.
 Viewer’s tend to focus on lighter areas compared to
darker areas of images. Another way to create
emphasis in your photographs is to place more light on
your subject compared to the background.
Proportion
 Proportion is concerned with the relationship between
the sizes of objects in your photographs.