Composing Your Photographs: Using Lines

Now, let's look at how to use lines in your photographs. Proper use of lines will help to draw viewers into your photos and make them more dynamic. Observe the following picture.



What is it about the photo that draws you in? Without the brick here, what would this photo be? For most, this is very appealing because of the way the lines naturally draw your eye's attention to the door. The red color only highlights it more.

Check this one out. It's the side of a building with a rusty window. Most of us wouldn't even notice the potential for a photograph here. However, it is a perfect example of the use of lines. The window is obviously the subject, but it is emphasized by the lines of the tin siding that surrounds it. The lines help with creating the right amount of contrast, too. In the subject itself, we see both horizontal and vertical lines. About that...

Horizontal lines convey a feeling of permanency. Think about someone sleeping, or even the horizon. Horizontal lines are usually used in calming photographs, such as the default Windows XP background. It's no mistake that Microsoft used it!

When we see a photograph with strong vertical lines, we think power. Take, for example, skyscrapers and trees. To emphasize these lines, turn your camera and shoot in portrait mode. Think about it: if I photograph a skyscraper in landscape mode, we'll say that I can get about 15 floors in the frame. However, when I turn my camera for portrait mode, I can get about twice that.

Diagonal lines are also great to use in photography. A great example of this is sunlight.

Diagonal lines are unique, and studies have actually been done that show that these lines naturally draw the our eyes toward the subject, in this case, the clouds.

Another type of line to use in your photographs is the S-line. It brings about a feeling of grace and peace.This one just naturally draws you in. It is a comforting image; thanks to the perspective, we can see ourselves travelling down this road at a leisurely pace. S-lines (or curves) can also be used in abstract images, such as this one.

There are a lot of factors involved in composing your photographs, and proper use of lines is just one of them. Practice practice practice! Look back at some of your photos. See what "just works" and what doesn't, and try to figure out why. Happy photographing!

Composing Your Photographs: Rule of Thirds

Over the next few days, I'd like to go over a few techniques that will help make your photos more professional. A photo has a lot more potential when properly composed.

Today, I'd like to go over the basics of the Rule of Thirds. According to Renaissance painters, in most cases, the eye does not rest on the center of the photo; because of this, we basically "off-center" the subject, which also adds a bit of extra background. Understanding this will go a long way in making your photos look much better. In this rule, the frame is divided into nine parts. It looks like this:

Some cameras can actually display this on the viewfinder or LCD screen; others you must imagine it. The basic idea here is to place your subject on one of the four green dots.

One mistake many people make when composing their pictures is placing the horizon dead center. Ever wonder why all of your beach photos look the same? Try moving the horizon to the upper or the lower third of the screen. When you move the horizon to the bottom third of the frame, you have composed a sky shot. When the horizon is in the top third of the frame, you have composed a land shot. Try both and see what you like.

Examples:

Washington, D.C.

The Washington Monument is placed in the left third, and the horizon is on the lower third. This puts a lot of emphasis on the Monument.

In this photo, the emphasis is in the upper third region.

By using the Rule of Thirds, you can go a long way towards making your photographs look much more professional. However, you shouldn't use this rule on every photo. Think of portraits, for example. Each photograph is unique, and it is up to you, the photographer, to compose each and every one of them!

*Note: I will add more examples as soon as possible!