Balance
PRO

Radial: centre rings and spokes from above

Concentric rings or spokes round one centre: ripples, a stairwell, a flower head, seen straight down. Centre them.

What it is

Radial compositions are built from lines or rings spreading out from one centre: the spokes of a wheel, the petals of a flower, ripples in water, a spiral stairwell seen from the top. Placing that centre in the middle of the frame lets every line point to it, which gives a strong sense of focus and order. The pattern needs to be seen square on, usually straight down, so the rings stay round and the spokes stay even. Radial is part of Camera Grid Pro.

When to use it

A spiral staircase from the top of the stairwell
A flower head or a sliced citrus fruit from directly above
Ripples spreading on a pond

How to shoot it

Stand over the pattern and point the phone straight down at it. This guide is offered only when looking down.
Camera Grid looks for spokes meeting near one point, or rings around a subject, and draws concentric rings over the pattern.
Pan until the pattern's centre sits in the middle; the coach tells you which way.
Keep the phone flat as the coach asks, and shoot when the ring turns green with a tap.

Common mistakes

Shooting at an angle, which squashes the rings into ovals.
Leaving the centre of the pattern off to one side.
Cropping the outer rings so tightly that the pattern loses its shape.

Questions

What is radial composition in photography?

It is a composition where lines or shapes radiate outward from a central point, like spokes or ripples. The eye is pulled toward the centre, and the repeating pattern gives the image rhythm. You find it in nature, architecture and food.

Can Camera Grid find radial patterns at eye level?

No. At eye level, lines meeting in the middle are usually a corridor and rings are often an arch, so Camera Grid only claims a radial pattern when the phone looks down on it. For a corridor it offers One-Point Perspective instead.