Leading lines is a very basic premise used in photography, where the photographer uses the composition of a photo to take the viewer's eye right to the spot where he or she wants it to go. Hopefully. Leading lines helps the eye to focus on the primary area, or topic, of the photo.
Have you ever seen a photo and wondered what the subject was? Maybe there were a number of things to look at and you could not focus on just one. Sometimes photos can be cluttered with many things and it's hard to find the subject.
In the photo of our dog, Moe, below, I am using the lines of the glider swing (both back and seat) and the lines of the trees to help take your eye to the subject--handsome Moe.
Have you ever seen a photo and wondered what the subject was? Maybe there were a number of things to look at and you could not focus on just one. Sometimes photos can be cluttered with many things and it's hard to find the subject.
In the photo of our dog, Moe, below, I am using the lines of the glider swing (both back and seat) and the lines of the trees to help take your eye to the subject--handsome Moe.
Moe was most helpful in this endeavor, mostly because (1) the swing is his favorite place to be and (2) I had a juicy treat in my hand. Those are "oh...you have a treat" ears. I used a 28mm lens for this photo, and got on an even plain with Moe by peering through the other end of the glider swing just below the arm rest. Moe thought there surely was something wrong with me.
In this photo of our cat, Barney (who apparently went to the same posing school as our Moe), the lines are a little more subtle, using the comings and goings of the rock wall and the pointing fronds of iris plants to help focus your eye on Mr. Hey-Why-Did-You-Just-Have-Me-Neutered. (Longest sentence ever.....so glad someone invented commas.) I used a 70-300mm lens at about 105mm for this shot because Barney is avoiding me just a little since I put him in that cat carrier to go to the vet.
In this photo of our cat, Barney (who apparently went to the same posing school as our Moe), the lines are a little more subtle, using the comings and goings of the rock wall and the pointing fronds of iris plants to help focus your eye on Mr. Hey-Why-Did-You-Just-Have-Me-Neutered. (Longest sentence ever.....so glad someone invented commas.) I used a 70-300mm lens at about 105mm for this shot because Barney is avoiding me just a little since I put him in that cat carrier to go to the vet.
This technique also works great with a photo that has no color, such as the photo of Lilah, below, enjoying our side patio. I backed off quite a bit to exaggerate the lines leading up to Lilah, once again to help your eye focus on her in the photo. In looking back over my work, I find that I use this technique quite a bit. It's one of my favorite foundation principles.
I hope you enjoyed the photos. To see how Susannah Maynard of Suzi Pix Photography interpreted this week's theme, just click here.
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