What is Golden Ratio composition, and can it really be applied to design and photography? As artists, should we use the Ratio, or should we ignore it? The good news is that it’s easy to apply and can indeed make your works more captivating and beautiful.
What is the Golden Ratio?
The Ratio is approximately 1.618 to 1. It’s approximate because it is an irrational number that continues with an infinite number of decimal places.
- In math, the number is referred to by the Greek letter φ or Phi. The Ratio has been studied and refined for two and a half millennia.
Why is There Controversy?
While Phi can be applied to many things in nature, careful analysis shows that it is seldom mathematically perfect.
- When the spirals of a nautilus shell are measured, their ratio to one another is not exactly 1.618.
- Famous pieces of artwork and architecture fail to stand up to careful study.
Golden Ratio in Photography
The spiral concept is especially powerful in photography.
- By placing your elemental subject at the point of the spiral, and radiating elements farther apart as you get farther away, you can combine the concepts of Phi and the golden rectangle grid
- Another use of Phi in photography is to capture objects that already possess it.
Why is it Important?
Humans naturally find objects that conform to Phi as intrinsically beautiful
- By incorporating the Ratio in our design and photography, we can improve the quality and beauty of our work
- The Ratio should be considered a helpful guide
- It is not a rigid framework that must be adhered to
Conclusion
The ratio is a great tool to apply to many photos and designs that would otherwise be lacking
- For designers and photographers, grasping what is golden ratio art is the first stepping stone
- Using Phi is not just about composing your own images, it is also a tool to appreciating other visual arts you come across
- In studying the work of others, you make your own creations better
How to Apply It
It can be applied in a number of ways. When working with visual arts, it’s easiest to apply it geometrically.
- Golden Rectangles are rectangles whose short edge is 1, while the long side is 1.618
- The rectangle can then be divided into itself by the magic number 1,618 an infinite number of times
- By looking at the image of the slowly diminishing rectangles, the dimensions of a spiral shape can be drawn
Golden Ratio in Design
Layouts are the perfect place to start applying the ratio
- The larger edge of the larger rectangle should be 1.618 times the length of the edge of a smaller rectangle
- If you want to place additional elements inside the two-column framework that you created above, use ever smaller and diminishing rectangles
- Details of your design will become denser as the viewer’s eyes spiral towards the apex
