DAY 251

PHOTOGRAPHY 101

Using Lines

JUST FOLLOW ALONG

Using lines to draw the viewer’s attention into the photo or across the photo is a technique that is very useful in creative photography. This is referred to as using “leading lines.”

Just as when we read a book, our eyes scan a photograph from left to right. A leading line along the left side of a photograph will capture the viewer’s attention right away and then lead him across the photograph (below).

Another use of leading lines is to arrange your photograph so that the line leads into the photograph and draws the viewer’s attention more fully into the details of it, as in this photograph of a country road (above).

This usage of leading lines creates high impact and causes the viewer to spend more time following the line and examining the photograph. It also adds depth to your photographs, something that’s difficult to do in two dimensions.

When using leading lines, set your aperture for the largest depth of field available. This results in most, if not all, of the leading line being in focus.

The next time you photograph outdoors, look for fence lines, roads, and even walls, and specifically frame your photograph so that the lines created by these features are leading lines. Bonus points if your leading line goes from left to right. —CWN