Dividing the frame - balance: Image 6

The final image I used for this exercise is quite different to the others as it is a close up of a plant.

Image 6: Frost encrusted leaves

The visual elements in this image are quite complex:-

- The brightest area are the leaves in the upper right, sloping down to lower left, rimmed with white frost.

- This picture was taken against the light and hence the larger leaves facing towards the lens are in shade.

- There are bright edges on the leaves facing away from the lens which seem to attract the eye.

- The plant stem emerges from between leaves in lower left side of the frame.

The image has a strong diagonal through the middle. It therefore seemed reasonable to evaluate the balance of the image relative to this diagonal line, rather than separately looking at horizontal and vertical planes. I also thought it was interesting to consider balance front to back.

Relative to the diagonal, I felt that the image is reasonably in balance. The bright leaves in profile above the diagonal are counterbalanced by the larger leaves below the diagonal. The interesting frost shapes on the foreground leaves also attacts some attention to these leaves.

In a front to back direction, the darker close leaves are not overwhelmed by the bright edges of the distant leaves. Even though the image is "back to front" with a lighter distant objects than close objects, I think this works in this particular case.