Dynamic Symmetry for Photography and Using the Grid by Tavis Leaf Glover

[@mwhite212]

I’m so glad I discovered your channel. I’ve always been frustrated by the composition advice I’ve gotten.

[@IPOXstudios]

That’s great to hear, please enjoy the content! There’s lots of free articles on my site too😄

[@mnkrck]

thank you very much! there are so many tutorials on composition but this is actually the first time i see somebody explaining it from a first-person point of view... awesome!

[@IPOXstudios]

mo pe thanks so much for the support! :)

[@marvlsp71]

Thank you for broadening our mind and helping us to unlearn what we have learned as far as the rules of photography are concerned.

[@Elusar316]

Just what I needed, thank you. Also: I love how natural and _yourself_ you seem to be in this video. No youtuberism, showmanship, bullshit. Just knowledge.

[@IPOXstudios]

elb thanks for watching and leaving a nice comment! :D

[@tammicampbellartistry]

I'm so glad that you are sharing this knowledge. Do you see the faces in the puddle (@ 6:15), there are several and the most obvious one located exactly at the center point. :D cheers

[@IPOXstudios]

Tammi Campbell haha I never noticed that until now! Thanks for watching and commenting, I’m glad the video is helpful. Take care!

[@R2DJ3B]

would be nice to see this applied for street photography, maybe in a future video? :) keep up the good work man

[@IPOXstudios]

Riad Soto I have a couple of videos for street photography already that talk about how I use dynamic symmetry for film and digital photography. Hope that helps you 😊

[@ray3063]

@@IPOXstudios where I can find that video? what's the title?

[@IPOXstudios]

sefel business here’s the most recent one 😄- Street Photography Compositions with the Ricoh GR III (Waikiki P.O.V. 2019)

[@ray3063]

@@IPOXstudios Thanks!

[@johnkantar3082]

this is what should be taught at camera clubs, thank you

[@IPOXstudios]

John Kantar thanks for watching, I wish I could teach in all the photo clubs and help out! Take care!

[@dogsouttv5485]

Thank you so much for sharing I have learnt so much

[@IPOXstudios]

DogsoutTV you’re welcome, thanks for the support! 🙏🏼

[@luminousglassart]

Hi, I bought your book for my Kindle and am trying to understand but got stumped when you started drawing arcs! Couldn’t figure out how you got the endpoints. Figured if I watched the videos, eventually I would see you drawing arcs.

[@IPOXstudios]

luminousglassart hi thanks for your support, I appreciate it. Also thanks for reaching out to me. Please check out the video link below, it should help. When you see an arc being drawn, it’s basically just showing the pathway of a diagonal coming down to the bottom horizontal line. They use to use a compass for this before computers, and the compass is what created the arc. The diagonal is the same length of the next root rectangle. For instance, if you take the diagonal of a square and line it up to the bottom of the square it will be a little longer. This length is the same length as the root 2 rectangle. It’s all diagrammed in the book. Hope that helps you out. Take care! kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3vCn4SNrrCJgLM

[@luminousglassart]

Tavis Leaf Glover thanks, a I’ll keep trying. I watched a Barnstone video where he literally used calipers and that was helpful. Am 50 years plus past my last math class.

[@IPOXstudios]

luminousglassart that’s great to hear, his DVD’s are really helpful.

[@attheranch873]

I think I get it now! Line up the diagonals in a general way. It doesn’t have to be exact and all of the lines don’t have to be lined up?

[@IPOXstudios]

Yes, sometimes it’s hard to lock in everything so we can parallel diagonals and still incorporate the geometry. Thanks for watching!👍

[@m.s.g1890]

I think this shows how hard it is to use the grids to any great extent. Having watched your videos, I've tried many times but I'm lucky to get two or three decent positionings. More than that would require a lot of luck. I've been reduced to trying to 'crowbar' elements into the grid by dodge and burn, and of course, cloning. Cloning works the best if you don't see it as cheating. Random elements such as leaves can be moved around into groups (provided that you can successfully camouflage any repeating patterns). In 'street' I don't even try anymore really. Unless you compose a scene and wait for somebody to occupy a desired space in the grid, you're really going to be VERY lucky indeed to get a composition that holds together in a balanced way, in terms of grid conformation. 'Street' is mostly chaotic, with elements in a constant state of motion, overlapping, and convergence or divergence. The video you showed featuring some HCB photos showed that he was pretty much aiming for a horizontal and a complementary vertical; and I'd say that, from experience, much of any success beyond that would be down to chance. Thanks so much for introducing me to the fascinating world, Tavis!

[@IPOXstudios]

Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts with everyone! You're right, certain types of photography and situations won't allow a lot of time to compose, but there are minimal things to watch for. In fast paced photography it's best to watch for figure-ground relationship and diagonals. The more you use the grid, the more it trains your eyes to watch for the diagonals while also incorporating figure-ground relationship and other techniques. It won't be mastered overnight, you'll have to continually use it, analyze your photos, apply your knowledge, study masters, repeat. One technique at a time. This way you can say it was more than luck...you trained your eye. This is what Bresson did. He was obsessed with geometry, which is dynamic symmetry. Cloning is perfectly fine for fine art photography, I've written articles where I show how the background was manipulated to improve the design. Street photography is usually captured as-is though. Glad you're liking the content, take care!

[@m.s.g1890]

@@IPOXstudios Thank you for taking the time to write a thoughtful reply. Much appreciated. I absolutely agree that training your eye will help enormously, and I got into photography through seeing HCB photos online and wondering why they looked so harmonious... Having watched your videos I've realised that I've been instinctively copying HCB in terms of figure ground and aspective view (especially the legs of people walking being at full stretch). I can balance visual weight in the frame pretty well, I think, but getting everything tied up neatly with a grid must require a certain amount of luck in any photography where the subject's positioning can't be micro managed; as we can only 'arrange' by moving ourselves. Thanks again, Tavis. The content is priceless. Due to it's nature I guess/fear that you'll never get the amount of subs your time, knowledge and effort deserve. But here's hoping.

[@IPOXstudios]

@@m.s.g1890 sounds like you’re well on your way to creating well composed photos! Thanks for the support and nice comment, I appreciate it! Happy holidays!

[@nucleardivide290]

so you took a picture of some mud. great. :D JK LOVE all this info man... super eye opening stuff!

[@Exercises10]

Awesome! I love how you can point things out for as as we watch. Three quarters way through when you were looking for arabesque I start to see a wolf like creature with a snout and eye in the trees. Wow. This is going to be fun a whole new way to see. Many thanks for sharing!

[@IPOXstudios]

Hi Lulu, thanks for the comment! You've got a great imagination...sounds like the Gestalt psychology principles were creating that wolf for you ;) Take care!

[@janiemachiz5756]

Can you sell those grids for I phones?

[@IPOXstudios]

Janie Machiz Thanks for showing interest in the info and grids. I have them available on my site now with many different iPhone sizes. You can always reach out to me if you have further questions. Take care! ipoxstudios.com/product/dynamic-symmetry-grid-package/

[@janiemachiz5541]

I ordered them! Can’t wait to use them, thank you for the quick reply.

[@IPOXstudios]

janie machiz that’s great, thanks for the support I appreciate it!

[@janiemachiz5541]

I sent money but never got the grids? What’s up with that?

[@IPOXstudios]

janie machiz hi Janie, sorry there is a delay in receiving the download links. Sometimes the email with links will go to your spam box. Can you please email me your order number or around the date that you ordered them? I’ll be sure to resolve this for you ASAP. Thanks for your patience. Please email me at [e-mail]

[@artromano8919]

Tavis where do I get the grids from?

[@IPOXstudios]

Hi, thanks for your interest in the video. I have them available on my site. They are digital downloads that you can print onto transparency film. Please reach out to me if you have other questions. I have a lot of info and videos on the same link below. Take care and thanks for the support! :D www.ipoxstudios.com/dynamic-symmetry-grids-for-photographers-and-painters/

[@eXtremeGoLden]

Tavis Leaf Glover Hey Tavis! I already bought you grids, but I Don t really know, how to use them. I know, the basics or dynamic Symmetry and Composition (from your Videos and other stuff), but I Don t really understand, how I should use all this grids. I specially Don t know, which grid I should use for which painting. How other artists do this? Or photographers? I Draw a sketch first and then search for a grid, that suits my sketch. Then I do a new Sketch that fits in the grid. It works, but I need really a lot of time to find the perfect grid and I have to change the Mainpart of the Sketch. Maybe you can make a Video, where you or an artist descripe, how you use/he jede a grid vor a painting.

[@farisroy_]

Sir, don't you think that it will be boring if every visual art are using those composition like dynamic simmetry?

[@IPOXstudios]

Faris Roy thanks for watching! There are endless possibilities when composing an image with dynamic symmetry. Especially when compared to rule of thirds which provides 4 points for artists to place their subject. We can look back at countless master paintings to show us how much variety the grids offer when composing an image. If you’ve seen my other videos, you’ll probably know that I consider dynamic symmetry a very powerful tool for any visual artists. The key is to put in the time to understand. Artists that only see lines are missing the whole purpose. Since your question can be interpreted as skeptical, do you have a reason to believe that using dynamic symmetry will make an image boring if every visual art is using it?

[@JosephTrezza]

where can i find those camera grids? thanks for the videos

[@IPOXstudios]

+Joseph Trezza Thanks for the comment! I have the high res Grid Downloads on the Resources page, but only members have access…easy and inexpensive to join BTW :D www.ipoxstudios.com/canon-of-design-resources/ I think searching for "dynamic symmetry" in google you'll find some grids. Plus, they can also be made to be a part of your camera LCD by using MagicLantern…I don't know how to do this though. Hope that helps! Take care

[@IPOXstudios]

Joseph Trezza upadate: I created new grids for cameras, phones, iPads, and computers :D www.ipoxstudios.com/dynamic-symmetry-grids-for-photographers-and-painters/

[@crimorf]

That puddle looks like a giant dinosaur footprint. So Basically you have to get the edges of your subject to line up with the lines on the grid? Obviously you have to make it look pleasant to the eye, but could you just use any of the lines of the grid to place your subject? Also, are you sure that's not the Blair Witch forest?

[@IPOXstudios]

Haha, thanks for the comment! It could be a Blair Witch dinosaur print...who knows! :D Yes, you should start basic by lining up elements to the lines of the grid. When you get more comfortable, you can parallel elements to the grid. The diagonals are the key part of using the grid.

[@lucasbookfield4000]

Thanks so much for this!

[@IPOXstudios]

You're welcome, thanks for watching!

[@chitoiup]

I'm only an amateur photographer, but I just don't see it. It's a chaotic landscape, nothing lines up with anything.

[@josuelopez3308]

Robert nature is caotic, your job as a photographer is to find beauty where it wasn't intended to be

[@eXtremeGoLden]

Robert Of course does it line Up - the right edge of the water and dark ground line up with the baroque diagonal and the left edge with the left Recipicol. The tree lines Not exactly Up with the First Recipicol, but a little Bit. Plus good figure ground Rrelationship. But s not ja favourite picture too. :)

[@andrew777spencer]

nothing lines up, correct

[@Train35711]

Noice bro

[@IPOXstudios]

Thanks brah!