The Monday Lesson- leading lines
Objective: to fine tune your compositions by using lines, shapes and flow in your images.
A while back, I posted a lesson about composition. Today I want to take it a little further by honing in on a single compositional element- the use of lines, patterns and shapes in your images.
I think that the best images are ones that are easy to look at. What I mean is that the eye moves through them with ease knowing right where it needs to go. There are many amazing images that can be emotionally difficult to look at because of the subject matter but the eye still moves through them with purpose and direction. This is not to say that your image needs to be stark or without intricate detail either. There are some incredible street photographers that capture stunning images that are full of detail and information but are still easy on the eye (Walker Evans, Eugene Atget and Robert Frank to name a few).
One of the ways that you can help lead a viewers eye around an image is by using lines, shapes and patterns. These elements can also frame a subject within an image, which helps direct the eye to the subject. Here are two examples with this type of effect:
A while back, I posted a lesson about composition. Today I want to take it a little further by honing in on a single compositional element- the use of lines, patterns and shapes in your images.
I think that the best images are ones that are easy to look at. What I mean is that the eye moves through them with ease knowing right where it needs to go. There are many amazing images that can be emotionally difficult to look at because of the subject matter but the eye still moves through them with purpose and direction. This is not to say that your image needs to be stark or without intricate detail either. There are some incredible street photographers that capture stunning images that are full of detail and information but are still easy on the eye (Walker Evans, Eugene Atget and Robert Frank to name a few).
One of the ways that you can help lead a viewers eye around an image is by using lines, shapes and patterns. These elements can also frame a subject within an image, which helps direct the eye to the subject. Here are two examples with this type of effect:
In this one, the effect is more subtle. I think the snake leads you right to Sayer and his cocked head leads you to the fish.
In this next image, the path leads you right to the little girl, Kara.
I like the way, in this image of Finn, the lines of the couch help guide you from left to right across his body, which is also following the lines.
In this next image of Sayer, the lines of the table guide you from left to right and back to him. He’s pretending to be asleep by the way. He was trying to get out of finishing his food. You know the drill…”I’m full…but only of dinner…not dessert”.
This image is a more subtle example. Here, the placement of the parents frames the little boy and the way they are lined up keeps you moving across the image.
In this one of Sayer playing on the floor, the lines of the tile just add some visual interest and isolate the center of the image. In case you’re wondering…it is not a real roach. It’s a little plastic one that he loves. For the life of me I can’t understand that one. It scares me every time I see it.
This last image has a lot of lines and shapes running through it. There are the lines of her legs and the couch as well as the swirls on the upper left.
Now on the fun part right, your assignment? Go hunt for lines, shapes and patterns and show me what you come up with! I can’t wait to see them
Farrah Braniff
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