The Power of Circles

Smile! Look for the positive each day

The Power Of Circles
by Brad Herndon

One morning several years ago I got out of bed, washed up and sat down at the table for breakfast. My head was throbbing and in general I didn’t feel very well. Carol fixed me some toast, buttered it and placed the toast and a jar of her homemade blackberry jelly in front of me.

I slowly removed the lid from the jelly jar and just happened to notice the inside of the lid. Immediately a smile came upon my face and I got up and obtained my camera. The picture I captured that morning you will find with this story, and I still use it as an example of seeing the positive in every day we are granted upon this earth.

As you look at this image, you will notice I did not place the lid within the rule of thirds intersection points as I usually do. Instead, I positioned the lid so it was exactly in the center of the image, which is normally a definite no, no. The reason I put the lid in this location was because a circle is such a strong compositional form that it will literally pull the human eye to the center of the circle.

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The Circle Power at Work

While circles don’t occur often, you should be on the lookout for them since they make for remarkable pictures. A dew covered spider web with the lines running to a center circle creates a breathtaking picture. Fishbowls, people formed in a circle, and wheels are a few other examples of circle composition you should be on the lookout for. 

Drop a rock into the water and as the ripples form around the drop point you will also notice the power of a circle. The same goes for the center of a round flower and a round spiral staircase seen from below or above. Likewise, unusually things like the seed pod head of a dandelion form a circle.

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Coca-Cola Uses Circle Power

Coca-Cola used a round sign to draw attention to their product as shown here in this picture. 

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This Water Hole Forms a Circle

Even a little round hole of water becomes interesting when it is filled with cows. Obviously there are an amazing number of factors that come into play in photography, and the use of a circle in your pictures is one of them.

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A Semi-Circle Like This Also Works

The Intriguing Semicircle

A semicircle is one half of a circle, and while at first glance it doesn’t seem like it would be useful in composition, this certainly isn’t the case. Consider the picture of the big white oak tree silhouetted against an evening sky. The clouds above form a semicircle, and by placing the tree in the bottom center, which is near the center of the semicircle, a powerful image is formed. While it doesn’t seem plausible at first, the semicircle is such a big part of a circle it exhibits much of the same drawing power that the circle does

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The Rainbow Reminds Us of God's Love

Consider a rainbow, for example. Everyone loves to see a beautiful rainbow. It’s a semicircle, or so most people think. Actually, all rainbows are circles; the ones we see standing on the earth just happen to stop at the ground. Go up in an airplane, however, and you can actually see rainbows in full circle, a rather impressive sight to behold. Oftentimes people are surprised to learn rainbows are circles. Moreover, they shouldn’t be if they are careful readers of the Bible. Read below what Revelation Chapter 4, verse 3 has to say about a rainbow. 

And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.

Despite the fact it was written many years ago, well before the airplane, in the Bible God describes perfectly how a rainbow is round. 

And there is much more meaning to the rainbow besides its beauty. It’s actually a covenant God made with us that He will never again destroy those on earth with a great flood. In fact, the rainbow is a striking image He created to catch our eye, and to remind us time after time of the great love He has for us. 

May God grant you the days to see another breathtaking rainbow, and may you fully comprehend the depth of His great love as you enjoy its incredible colors.

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