Working the Lines in your Photography

.
by Darren Rowse



When considering the composition of an image one of the elements that I suggest digital camera owners look for are ‘Lines’.

The lines that can be found in images are very powerful elements that with a little practice can add dynamic impact to a photograph in terms of mood as well as how they lead an image’s viewer into a photo.

Over the next few posts I’ll consider three types of lines, ‘horizontal’, ‘vertical’ and ‘diagonal’. Each one has a different impact upon a photograph and should be looked for as you frame your shots.

Learning how to use lines in photography doesn’t just happen. It takes time and practice to become good at it.

A good way to practice is to go back through older images that you’ve taken and look for lines that worked well and those that didn’t.

Then next time you go out with your camera, before you frame your shot consciously ask yourself what lines are in front of you and how you might use them to add something to your next shot by working with them rather than against them.

Also ask yourself whether the lines form any interesting patterns that you might be able to accentuate to add a further layer of interest to the shot.

about a horizontal line

There’s something about a horizontal line in an image that conveys a message of ’stability’ or even ‘rest’. Horizons, fallen trees, oceans, sleeping people - all of these subjects have something about them that speaks either of permanency and timelessness or rest.

Horizons are the most common horizontal line to be found in photographs and they often act as a dividing point in a photograph - in effect an anchor that the rest of the image is formed around.

If you want to accentuate the calming stable impact of a horizon one effective technique to use is to shoot your images with horizontal framing (with the longest part of your cameras frame from left to right.

Alternatively if you want to reemphasize horizontal lines shoot with you camera in a vertical framing.

Keep in mind that unbroken horizons can often lead to a photograph feeling somewhat static or dull and a good strategy is to use other shapes in the landscape you’re photograph to break things up and give a point of interest (mountains, trees, buildings etc).

Horizons should generally not be placed in the middle of your frame. This leaves an image feeling unsettled compositionally. A much more effective technique is to place them in the upper or lower third of your frame.

Layers of horizontal lines can create rhythm or patterns in an image that can become the focus of an image in and of itself.

Lastly work hard to keep your Horizontal lines horizontal and square with the edges of your images frame. There’s nothing more frustrating that viewing a picture that is slightly off centre.

Vertical lines

Vertical lines have the ability to convey a variety of different moods in a photograph ranging from power and strength (think of skyscrapers) to growth (think of trees).

As horizontal lines can be accentuated by shooting in horizontal format vertical lines can be used very effectively by swapping the way you hold your camera into a vertical framing. This lengthens the vertical subject further which can emphasize it’s height.

The other option is to break this rule and frame your vertical subject horizontally which will give it the sense that your image can’t contain it (quite effective if the vertical lines are very strong).

Once again it’s important to attempt to keep your vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible. This is not always possible if you’re shooting looking up an image as the subject will taper off towards the top - but attempt to keep it’s center as straight as possible and you should be ok.

Keep in mind the Rule of Thirds when you have strong vertical lines in a photograph. Placing a line directly in the middle of a shot will effectively cut your image in half. This can be used with dramatic impact but also can leave your image looking segmented.

Keep an eye out for vertical lines that are repeated in patterns in your images as they can be used to great impact - particularly if they are contrasted with other shapes and lines going in different directions.

Diagonal lines

Diagonal lines generally work well to draw the eye of an image’s viewer through the photograph. They create points of interest as they intersect with other lines and often give images depth by suggesting perspective.

They can also add a sense of action to an image and add a dynamic looks and feel.

Consider how you might use diagonal lines to lead the eye to your photograph’s main subject or point of interest.

Different studies have been done into how people view images and many of them say that a natural way into an image is by traveling left to right and so a diagonal line starting at the bottom left and moving to the top right of an image can be quite useful and natural.

Of course you wouldn’t want to split your image into two with a harsh line from corner to corner - rather look for for patterns and curves between shapes that might do this naturally.

Also rather than making a line go from the very corner to the opposite corner it’s often good to make them off centre and go to either side of corners.

Keep in mind that numerous diagonal lines leading in different directions and intersecting with one another can add a sense of action to your photo but adding too many diagonal lines might make it chaotic and confusing.

As with both horizontal and vertical lines - diagonal lines that are repeated through out an image can create very effective patterns that can easily become the subject of a photograph themselves. A recently plowed field or the ridges on a sand dune might be good examples of this.

....