10 October 2008
Composition - Leading Lines - TWIP
Posted by
Scott under:
Tips
Photo by Scott Bourne
Let’s talk about leading lines. You can use leading lines to bring the viewer’s eye into the picture. In the example above, I use the ladders and rails to bring the viewer into and eventually out of the photo. Since I think all good photos should have the same traits of a good story, i.e., a beginning, a middle and an end, I like to use lines, especially leading lines, to draw the viewer in.
Photo by Scott Bourne
Roads are especially good subjects when you want to use leading lines. This simple shot of telephone polls in Washington’s Palouse country is made interesting by the leading line of the dirt road.
Experiment with lines in your compositions if you want to make your photos more interesting.
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6 Comments so far...
Kent Goldings Says:
10 October 2008 at 8:52 am.
I love leading lines. I have trouble composing a landscape when their isn’t something leading the eyes into it. I wish I had more time for it.
D.G. Hollums Says:
10 October 2008 at 9:17 am.
I and trying to do this with almost every photo I have been taking lately. I love looking at photos and being aware of where my eyes flow through out the picture. Still have not been able to get a road shot that I like enough to be pleased with it yet.
Tom Coyner Says:
11 October 2008 at 2:16 am.
Scott, this is perhaps your best tip yet - concise and yet quite illustrative of a very sophisticated point, including thinking in terms of a beginning, middle and end in one’s composition Thanks.
Tony D. Says:
11 October 2008 at 9:34 am.
I thought that that was a photo of a road, with telephone poles, rather than a photo of telephone poles, with a road. Interesting. Thanks for the tip.
Links - October 17, 2008 « Photo Notes: Photography by Patty Hankins and Bill Lawrence Says:
17 October 2008 at 3:10 am.
[...] TWIP has tips on using Leading Lines. [...]
