Photography Composition Golden Ratio
– By Hasnat Karim
The Fibonacci Spiral! It was amazing once the Italian mathematician Leonardo Pissano Bogolo Fibonacci discovered a sequence of numbers that are automatically made up with the addition of previous two numbers. The sequence looks like this: 1 (1+0), 2 (1+1), 3 (2+1), 5 (3+2), 8 (5+3), 13 (8+5), 21 (13+8), 34 (21+13), 55 (34+21)…..n’ so on. Mysteriously, these numbers make a spiral once a circular arc is drawn touching the opposite outer edges of the squares grouped in accordance with the numbers. It may be further explained through the following diagram:
The Fibonacci Spiral is used to explain the balance or perfection in natural creation. Construction of human face could be explained in the following manner using this spiral while a little breach could cause imperfection:
The Golden Ratio
The golden ratio (symbol is the Greek letter “phi”)
is a special number approximately equal to 1.618
It appears many times in geometry, art, architecture and other areas.
Incidentally, I came across this phenomenon in the spiral staircase once going up the top of 65 metres tall El Hank Light House (Phare d’el Hank) in Casablanca, Morocco. A place worth visiting for exceptional photos, indeed!
The Idea Behind It
Some artists and architects believe the Golden Ratio makes the most pleasing and beautiful shape.
Many buildings and artworks have the Golden Ratio in them, such as the Parthenon in Greece, but it is not really known if it was designed that way.
Relationship with Fibonacci Sequence
There is a special relationship between the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci Sequence:
(The next number is found by adding up the two numbers before it.)
And here is a surprise: when we take any two successive (one after the other) Fibonacci Numbers, their ratio is very close to the Golden Ratio.
In fact, the bigger the pair of Fibonacci Numbers, the closer the approximation. Let us try a few:
Pentagram
No, not witchcraft! The pentagram is more famous as a magical or holy symbol. And it has the Golden Ratio in it:
⦁ a/b = 1.618…
⦁ b/c = 1.618…
⦁ c/d = 1.618..
