Leading lines is just one of the ways photographers help to lead your eye to a subject. Some others are: using a brightness gradient (our eye is naturally led to the bright spot of a photo); use a wide angle lens to exaggerate lines and lead the eye to the spot you want it to go; use blur (keeping the important items in focus); or use a combination of a few of these techniques together.
Before we get to the Moe image, let me share this image.
This is by no means a technically correct photo, but I like it. I could not pass up the shadows, the wall lines and her cuteness. Here, by using leading lines and light, I am drawing you to her. I probably would have never been lucky enough to see this had I had my camera and all the proper lighting with me.
On Wednesday I dragged my husband and Moe to the location where I knew I would be able to incorporate leading lines into a photo. It's a foot bridge not to far from where we live. It runs over a creek.
If you remember from past blogs, Moe is a generally easy going guy who pretty much sits where you put him and lifts his ears when he hears the word "treat."
It was around 7:00 p.m. and Moe was happy that this car ride did not take him to the vet (a place he has been ending up lately for various reasons).
Unfortunately, I was wrong about that cooperation streak. On Wednesday, Moe only wanted to eat grass and definitely keep moving. This was a new spot for him, and he wanted to explore. So, we had to wait him out and let him decide on his own when he would cooperate.
Finally, I was able to capture a few shots that I really like. I only edited one for this blog, but will get back to them as time permits. You can see there are many lines leading you to Moe. Normally, we might want the dog in the middle, but the big tree in the background would have been coming out of Moe's head, and that's a no-no for me, so I opted for him to stand to one side.
Go out and look for the lines that naturally lead your eye to something. These are the lines I see everyday, making note of where I need to return with a client or a dog.