Visual object carry weight. The darker the they are the more visual weight the represent. The larger they are the heavier they seem. Closer objects carry more weight than distant objects. So a smaller object close by can balance out a larger object in the distance. Our images are more appealing when the are visually balanced both by the position of objects in the scene and by the weight they carry.

This is not my favorate image but it will serve us well to teach us about balance and weight. The mountain peak in die distance on the right is obviously much larger and heavier than the rock in the front left of the image. Yet because of their distance to us the rocks on the left balance out the peak on the right. This image is balanced both by objects and the weight they carry.

          Had the rocks on the left not been there this image would have been a failure. It would have been unbalanced. Too much weight would have been on the right hand side. Similarly, had the rocks on the left been there without a peak on the right the image would have been too heavy on the left. I used the rocks on the left to bring about balance and to distribute the weight.

          Be on the lookout for balance. Place something in the foreground to balance something in the distance. Think about visual weight and go for balance.