Geometry & Symmetry Around You!

Geometry - one of the subjects that many of us hated when we were in school. Learning theorems and calculate sin, cos and tan wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, right? Don’t worry, we are not here to bore you with complex calculations or drawing the perfect in circle. This won’t be that kind of geometry.

- NITYAPRIYA KALIYATH

In layman terms, geometry is the brand of mathematics that deals with points, surfaces and shapes. In photography, geometrical elements aid photographers in capturing images that draw the eye of the viewer. Symmetry, on the other hand, is similarity or likeness between two parts on opposite sides. For example, if you divide a rectangle in half from the top to the bottom, the part of the rectangle on the left will be similar to the one on the right.

And here’s the most interesting part, many of the compositional principles of photography make use of geometry and symmetry to a certain extent. If you are wondering how, read on!

Types of Geometry in Photography

Before we dive into how you can incorporate geometry into your clicks, let’s take a look at the types of geometry in photography:

Hard Geometry

Hard geometry, also known as true form, is every object or element that shows you an original, identifiable geometric shape. For example, a round alarm clock, rectangular windows, the Pyramids and the likes. Architecture photography often features hard geometry.

Light and shadows play a very crucial role in the framing of objects that are hard-edged geometrical shapes. To make the picture more eye-catching, you can also repeat hard-edged geometrical shapes – such as windows of the building or the spirals of a staircase.

Soft Geometry

Soft Geometry is harder to find than hard geometry as our brains are not trained to look for abstract shapes around us. However, with a little bit of practice, anyone can do so!