You may not think lines are very exciting, we see them everywhere, but lines have many uses in photography. We've been exploring linear lines in Kat Eye Studio's Exploring With A Camera and how they effect our photography.
Multiple lines that come close to one another or converge together is a technique that will lead your eye into a shot, such as the railings on this bridge.
We use lines in photography to lead the eye or draw attention to an object. The lines of the rock walls and pathway lead your eyes to the gazebo, the object of this photo.
Sometimes the leading lines in a photograph are very obvious. The viewer naturally follows the lines to see what is at the end. The interest of this photo is the lush green hillside. The rock wall serves to lead our eyes to the opening and then into the distance.
Leading lines can be solid like the wall, or they can be subtle like these flowers. The rows of flowers lead your eyes through this photo.
Linear lines can also give us a sense of depth. Our eyes follow the line of grave markers to a distant point. Looking down this row of markers helps you realize the size of this section at the Little Rock National Cemetery.
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All linear lines don't have to be straight. They can have curves and still be effective. The orientation of the photo also creates a different look. The first photo was taken horizontally. You feel the expanse of the woods, the quietness, and space and in this case a touch of being alone.
Photographing the same path in a vertical orientation focuses more on the path and the height of the trees.
Viewpoint is also very important when dealing with lines in photography. A different perspective elicits a different response to the photograph. In the images below, looking up creates dramatic image of these buildings. I don't take a lot of architectural images, but I must say this shot of the Saline County Courthouse in Arkansas is my all-time favorite image of a building. I just love the way my eyes travel up the building to the gorgeous sky.
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As I mentioned before, the lines don't have to be straight. The lines of this church steeple lead to the cross at the top.
I hope you'll be seeing linear lines this week!
You don't have to be a photographer to see them!
If you capture some good images of lines,
click on the button below and join the party!!
I love that image of the courthouse too! A perfect sky with the backdrop. I like the comparison of horizontal vs vertical too. Which do you like best? Thanks for Exploring with a Camera this month Cathy!
ReplyDeleteKat, Thanks for your kind comment. I love the feel of the horizontal image of the woods the best! I seem to look around me more than I look up!
DeleteHi Cathy, this was awesome to read and look at, I love lines!! These were great pictures and all the fun angles were fun to look at. It's hard to choose one but I think #3 was my favorite with #5 a close second but really they were all wonderful. You did a super job of finding these and describing them well for us!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday!
Peeked at your last post and HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! What a sweet day you had and precious little grandchildren you have. It's the simple things that bring us joy isn't it. Love the topic for that post, we don't look up or down often enough and probably miss out on some cool things. I like that you took the time to do this and record what you noticed. The pictures are great examples of up/down together like that. Will have to give this a try sometime and see what I have been missing, I'm looking up more then down I think??? Thanks for sharing these with us!!
Cathy - great examples of the use of linear perspective and leading lines. Love your shot of the courthouse - the steep "looking up" perspective makes you really understand the height which greatly enhances the image.
ReplyDeleteYou found some great examples, Cathy! That courthouse image is terrific -- love how our eye is drawn to the clock at the top. Isn't Exploring with a Camera fun?
ReplyDeleteGreat examples of linear perspective. Love the shot of the courthouse. I'm also really fascinated by how the change in orientation of the image has such an impact on the overall image. Love your example of this.
ReplyDeleteHow clever to spot the row/line of flowers!
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