Symmetry Review
Last month’s assignment was ‘Symmetry’. This theme has been set to test your vision and to see whether you can find symmetrical compositions to enhance your photography. You will also look at the importance of post processing your shots.
We had loads of amazing entries, so it was hard to choose our favourites. But here at The School of Photography we have picked a few that we liked the best. To join in with these assignments please sign up to our TSOP Membership here.
Our Students Work
©Mark Bootland
Brilliant response to the theme ‘Symmetry’ from Mark. The reason we like this shot is:
This shot was taken on a Samsung S9, and shows you do not always need to have all your gear with you. Changing it black and white and using symmetry makes this path into a very pretty shot.
©Rod Cook
Great response to this month’s assignment Rod. This shot was taken in The Five Sisters of Kintail and Loch Duich from Ratagan – shot at 1/15 sec, f/20, ISO 200
It’s simply a beautiful shot of a beautiful scene. The reflection is creating the symmetry horizontally though the Water. A great technique to create symmetry in photography is to use reflections and here is a perfect example of that.
The centralisation of the highest mountain also adds the photos strong compositional presence.
©Jim Peternickle
Jim’s perfect response to this month’s theme. This shot was taken at Irene Hixon Whitney bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA – shot at ISO 100, f/2.8, focal length 21mm,1/100 sec
A perfectly balanced shot this is key to get a good symmetrical shot. The shot jumps out the page because of the bright yellow against the grey dark scene and the reflection on the bridge from the rain helps create the symmetry in this shot.
©Tremain Tanner
Perfect response to this months assignment. This shot was taken at the top of one of the supporting towers on the Brooklyn Bridge, New York.
Again, this is a perfectly balanced shot. Perfectly level with the bridge exiting the frame at exactly the same place on both sides of the frame. Being this particular is important in getting a good symmetrical image. The black and white also adds texture into the clouds of the shot.
©Lou Wisdom
Lou this is a brilliant response to the theme. Shot at 50mm F1.8. The reason we like this shot is:
This is a different subject to the rest of the entries, love the fact it’s a close up of an owl. A vignette has been added to darken down the edges. This helps to focus the eye into the owl.
©Ann Kilpatrick
Ann this is a great response to the theme ‘Symmetry’. This shot was taken on the waterfront in Wellington. Shot at 1/60 sec at f/11, 16mm, ISO 100.
Love the Art Deco design of the building. A great subject mixed with great composition, makes a great shot!
One criticism here is the clouds not being balanced either side of the building. A bit of Photoshop or waiting for the clouds to move on would have helped a bit here.
©Maria Scampini-Overlay
Great response to this months theme Maria. The reason we like this shot is:
Love, Love, Love this shot, very creative.
When using a lens ball, most people fill the frame with it. However Maria uses the lens ball as a focal point while using the leading lines of the bridge to draw your eye to this centre point. Great response to the theme.
©Florin Oniga
Brilliant response to the theme ‘Symmetry’. The reason we like this shot is:
I’ve added this shot as I want to make a point that doing something different with your photographs can have a dramatic effect on the image. Here, Florin has simply flipped the image on it’s side and given a completely different response to the theme.
Experiment with something different or even a bit of Photoshop as this can give your image a totally different perspective.
©Phillip Behrendt
Perfect response to this month’s assignment Philip. This shot was taken at The National War Memorial to Parliament House in Canberra.
A really well composed and exposed shot here. It can be hard to expose for night scenes as the lights can sometimes be burnt out but the Ozzy Devil does it perfectly here.
©Adam Smyth
Adam this is a great response to the theme ‘Symmetry’. The reason we like this shot is:
Blacking out the rest of the image makes this image looks like a piece of art you could have on your wall. Well done Adam 👍.
©Sue Doyle
Fantastic shot this is our favourite from the theme - Shot at ISO 400, focal Length 66mm, 1/125 second
It’s the feeling of this shot that really grabs you. Calm and tranquil. It’s also been taken under soft light, probably on a cloudy day, the colours are very harmonious, and I personally love landscape photography taken under that grey, cloudy day, light.
The other thing that stands out is the way it has been cropped. It is in a panoramic format and the sky has been cropped out. Not many landscapes crop out the sky but here it has worked a treat.
Well done Sue – good star for you 😊.
Take your photography to the next level by becoming a member of TSOP
Thank you everyone who entered into this month’s theme, even if you’ve not been mentioned here, you’ve gone out and practised and from that you’ve have learnt and taken another step forward in your photography journey. And remember these are ‘our’ favourites and in this subjective world of photography, yours will be favourites for someone else.
This month’s assignments is ‘abstract’. If you would like to see our training video on how best to capture abstract, join in on our assignments by becoming a TSOP Membership here.
Thanks for watching and remember – Learn more at The School of Photography.