Lines and Shapes in Photography
Posted on August 8, 2009
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Photography isn’t just about including the desired subjects inside the frame. In order to have better photographs, one should try to make effective compositions. A strong composition is the product of a thoughtful study of the environment around you, its lines, shapes, and the patterns they form.
Understanding the effect lines can have on a photo will allow you to turn an ordinary composition into something extraordinary. They can grab the attention of the eye into a certain direction, they can add depth to the photo, and they can form interesting patterns.
Lines can be found all around us. The horizon, beaches and fallen trees, all can add interesting horizontal lines to your photos which can add a sense of stability to the picture. While adding lines to you composition, you should not forget about the Rule of Thirds, and try keep the horizontal lines perpendicular to the edges of your photo. It is worth noting that horizontal lines usually look better in landscape orientation .
Vertical lines are even more obvious to us. It is a natural fact that nearly everything tends to grow vertically which is why vertical lines usually reflect growth and power. As with horizontal lines, the vertical lines should be perpendicular with the edges of the photograph because an inclined vertical line may harm your photo significantly. Also remember that this type of lines is usually more convenient to vertical photos.
Another type of lines is the diagonal lines. Just look ahead of you along road or railway lines and you will sense a feeling of depth while your eyes will be set to their point of convergence of the diagonal lines. They can give a sense of speed and movement. A compositional convention is to avoid placing diagonal lines on the diagonal of the photograph as the photo will look split.
The lines’ types and orientations are related to the viewpoint used in the photograph. Just by changing your point of view, you can turn horizontal or vertical lines into interesting diagonal lines. Combining this with placing a subject at the convergence point will make an excellent composition.
While lines may add a certain mood to your photograph, shapes usually provide the meaning. Shapes are the 2D outlines of the objects, and they play a major role in making these objects recognizable. Contrasting an object with a different background is usually the best way to put emphasis on its shape . A good example for this is silhouette photography where the subjects are dark while the environment is colorful.
Every object has its own distinct shape from specific angles, but some objects may look similar from different points of view. Because photographs have two dimensions only, choosing the right perspective is essential to present the object with the shape you want.
Understanding composition in terms of lines and shapes is one step forward toward more mature artistic expression.
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