Photography Lessons Creative Composition: The Use Of Lines
Digital Photography Lessons, How to use lines to lead your viewer to your main point of interest.
When you have a river, road, path or fence line in your photo, make sure it leads your viewer into your image to a point of interest rather than out of the side or away from your main point of interest. In some cases your lines are in fact your point of interest. A good example would be a river or wilderness trail.
Another example would be a set of railroad tracks. When your main subject are the lines themselves the area they lead your eye to is referred to as the vanishing point. Take your viewer on a journey with the use of lines and end the journey with an interesting conclusion. Another example is, when you are photographing a river or stream start with your stream in the foreground and try to include a mountain peak, interesting rock formation or a waterfall at the vanishing point.
Converging lines always convey a feeling of depth, and can be especially striking when arranged on a diagonal. Here again try to include an interesting subject at the point of convergence.
Curving lines are softer and more sensuous in appeal. And don’t forget that a line can be a circle, spiral or arch too.
Horizontal lines to imply calmness and tranquility. An obviously suitable horizontal composition would be a beach with golden sands, blue sea and horizon. Be sure to compose you photograph with your horizontal line or horizon either in the top or bottom third of your image. Use either the sky or the foreground as your main composition. I cant say you should never have your horizon in the center but, in most case this usually is not as interesting and you run the chance of your photograph appearing stagnate and un interesting.
Vertical lines convey strength and stability. If vertical lines converge upwards, as when you tilt your camera to get in the top of a building, they can give a soaring feeling, but in this case you can nearly always improve your image by slanting the camera slightly to build a strong diagonal which will increase the interest in your image.
Diagonal lines are great to create strong interest and a more dynamic image. Whereas horizontal and vertical lines tend to give a stable, static feel, diagonal lines are more dynamic, implying action and movement. Diagonal lines will also lead your viewers eyes to your main subject matter in a more interesting path.
Don’t forget, you don’t have to have an actual line between two points. This can also be accomplished through the use of contrasting light and colors. Lines can also be implied by the positioning of people or other objects.. If you find yourself with horizontal or vertical lines you don’t want, simply change your camera angle to place them on a slant or eliminate them entirely.
Have your lines exit into corners.
If your lines are going to break the frame or come to an end, try to have them exit your image in a corner as opposed to the top, bottom or side of your composition.Don’t cut your lines short.
Give Your image room to move. Anything that moves needs a space to continue its action, so don’t cut your imaginary line too short. The same goes for people or animals, vehicles or even a fence line, try not to have them facing the short side or a lesser space of your composition. Give your subject some open space to continue their line of sight or direction they are traveling.
S-curves are great composition builders. Straight lines can be dramatic and have good visual impact, but the alternating sweeps of S-curves are more relaxing and more attractive to the human eye. Think of a straight road compared to a winding one or a winding river compared to a straight length of river. The S-curve or even an arch is more effective when creating a soft or soothing image.
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I’ll be back soon with more helpful tips so stay tuned.
Happy shooting, Terry
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