I once had a photography friend who created symmetrical portraits, his project was based around the idea that symmetrical faces are considered more attractive. But I found the faces kind of creepy and dismissed the idea of symmetry in my own work.
Then a few years ago I went camping with some friends in the Gower Peninsula. The location was atmospheric and beautiful but I felt like the pictures I took there they were lacking something to make them really special. I was just messing around when I flipped the first image but I loved the result and I ended up making a couple of symmetrical landscapes with photos from that trip.
This project has been a slow burner and it’s one that I never think about when I’m actually shooting. Occasionally, I’ll see a photo in the archive and wonder if it could work.
I’d actually forgotten about the project all together until I was looking for images to add to this updated version of my blog and found this picture of Emsworth Mill Pond. I’ve worked on it before and looked at it hundreds of times but this time I saw something new in it.
I guess the point is that creativity can sometimes happen years after the actual shoot. And I love that there are always new ways to look at things.
More symmetrical landscapes here.