The Golden Mean, sometimes called the ‘Golden Ratio’ or the ‘Fibonacci Spiral’, was developed during the Renaissance era and may even be observed in the architectural structure of the ancient Greeks. However, it can be traced further back to creation, where nature has shown this formula in the patterns of flowers and flights of birds. The Golden Mean is simply a formula for calculating compositional space. The early artists and designers used this method to establish the precise placement of basically everything around a subject into composition by using mathematical principles.
The father of this type of approach is Luca Pacioli (1445-1517). His idea contributed to the artistic development of many great works of legendary artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci who adapted this technique in some of his paintings, namely the Madonna and Child as well as The Annunciation.
To know the concept of the Golden Mean, think of a rectangle that when divided, creates two other shapes being a square and a smaller rectangle. These form the basis of the elements of your composition. Place the focal point of your image at 3/8 from the edges, this is closer to the center and from here you can still continue dividing parts of the entire scene which share the same proportion. In layman’s words, this allows you to see the details of the bigger picture enabling you to pay closer attention to detail.
The principle behind the Golden Mean is so simple and basic yet very important in how we view things from a perspective. It involves the relationship in proportion. When a larger object is placed together with a smaller object, there is a portion of space in between the larger and smaller object that is exactly of equal proportion. This is called the Golden Mean. It is an essential element in creating the base structure of visual arts, from architecture, to painting and even to photography.
The Golden Mean has been a contributing force in the progression of our arts because it is evident in almost everything, from flowers to our very own bodies. Its mysteries have been interwoven into our civilization and how we express ourselves through many art forms giving the total balance in terms of proportion.
Just like any art form such as architecture, design and photography, using the concept of the Golden Mean can add depth and a sense of balance. Much like the Rule of Thirds that involves positioning your subject slightly off center, the photographer’s approach can follow the spiral structure when composing the subject in the shot. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your images should have distinct spiral patterns, but that through composition, the viewer’s eyes are naturally led from one area of the frame to the focal point which is off-center.
When composing a shot, we sometimes subconsciously position the focal point in the location of the spiral’s smallest point. Structuring a shot this way gives it an aesthetically pleasing effect which we naturally gravitate to. If you look at your old images, you might be surprised how many of them follow the pattern of the Golden Mean.
Tags: fibonacci spiral, golden mean, golden mean photography, golden ratio
