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The Power of Total Symmetry: How to Clean Up Your Urban Photography

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Have you ever looked back at your city photos and felt like something was missing?

You’re standing in front of incredible architecture, surrounded by intricate textures, geometric lines, and dramatic shadows, yet the final image feels cluttered, overwhelming, and chaotic.

When you’re shooting urban environments, visual overload is your biggest enemy. Cities bombard our eyes with noise: power lines, passing cars, stray pedestrians, uneven shadows, and conflicting patterns.

If you want to transform busy cityscapes into clean, striking, and almost “otherworldly” visual art, there is one simple composition trick you need to master: Total Symmetry.

 

What Do I Mean by “Total Symmetry”?

I’m not talking about finding a tiny reflection in a window or having two small matching objects on either side of a frame while the rest of the image is completely chaotic.

I mean complete and utter submission to symmetry.

When you frame your shot, the target is to fill the entire frame with a symmetrical composition—left to right, or top to bottom. The ideal shot is one you could almost fold in half, and both sides would align seamlessly.
abstract urban symmetry

3 Core Techniques for Symmetrical Urban Framing

1. The Art of Exclusion (Subtract the Noise)

 

 

When it comes to composition, what you leave out of the frame is just as important as what you put in.

If you’re photographing a building, look up and zoom in on specific patterns or geometric sections. Is there a palm tree off to the side? A streetlight? A stray car? Exclude them.

By ruthlessly cutting out non-symmetrical elements, you take control of the frame and force the viewer’s eye onto the pure pattern of the architecture.

 

2. Use Water and Long Exposures

 

 

Water is your best friend when hunting for vertical (top-and-bottom) symmetry.

Look for fountains, pools, or puddles near modern architecture. By pairing a reflection with a long exposure, you flatten out the movement in the water. This creates a mirror-like surface that perfectly duplicates the building’s lines, turning a simple structure into a bold, abstract shape.

 

3. Embrace the “Imperfect” Anchor

Pure symmetry is powerful, but giving the viewer a small point of interest can make an image truly unforgettable.

A slight difference in light and shade across the building, a passing cloud, or a single subject (like a bicycle positioned along the centre line) creates just enough contrast to break the pattern without ruining the balance. It gives the eye a place to land.

 

Train Your Eye on Your Next City Walk

The next time you head out with your camera, whether you’re exploring modern hubs like Valencia or hunting down derelict staircases, give yourself a simple challenge:

 

Fill the entire frame with symmetry. Include only what creates balance, and subtract everything that doesn’t.

 

Human beings are naturally drawn to patterns, and symmetry is the ultimate visual pattern. By simplifying your shots and cutting through the urban chaos, you’ll start creating photography that makes people stop and say, “Wow.”