Composing Using Lines In Photography For Effect

Lines in photography, like in all compositional art forms, can add drama, emphasis, power, stability, movement, stillness or any of a huge range of thematic substance to your images, depending on your intentions and subject matter. They are also useful tools for adding emotional, psychological or dramatic subtext and for evoking all kinds of reactions from the viewer.

Lines in photography can be made by horizons, solid shapes, patterns, textures, light, shadow, people, animals, buildings – pretty much anything. Dramatic perspective shots make very good use of line composition. Training yourself to ‘feel the line’ when looking through the lens is as important as developing an eye for focal lengths and lighting.

There are three basic types of line: horizontal, vertical and diagonal. This article will not deal with the invisible lines forming the rule of thirds grid, framing frames or other compositional standards of classic photography, but will expound a little on those three basic types.

The Horizontal Line: The line that travels from left to right – or right to left – is familiar to most casual photogs with a taste for landscapes. The most common horizontal line is, of course, the horizon. Horizontals can be powerful in the right hands, evoking a feeling of stability or intimating rest and peace. A sense of balance and solidity can also be achieved.

When working with horizontals, make sure your tripod is level, or the whole image will look skewed. Different mood or thematic effects can be achieved in different camera orientations. For instance, in an upright-long (‘portrait’) orientation, horizontal lines can be seen as compressing or confining other elements in the frame, in a sideways-long (‘landscape’) orientation, dividing the frame lengthwise can give a feeling of being grounded, or at rest.

The Vertical Line: Verticals can evoke the impression of growth and power (think of a cityscape of tall skyscrapers, or magnificent towering trees, or a formation of marching soldiers). Verticals can seem to elongate or lengthen other elements. In some compositions, verticals can seem to trap other picture elements, like the long vertical lines of jail bars.

Vary your verticals’ effect by experimenting with camera orientation (though keep that tripod level). For example, you could dramatically segment your frame in landscape orientation (be careful not to overdo this) or create the sense that the image stretches far beyond the confines of your frame with a portrait orientation.

The Diagonal Line: Diagonals are fantastic in creating a sense of movement or action in your composition. They can also be used to draw the viewer’s eye to specific elements you may want to highlight. Points of interest are created when diagonals intersect with other lines too. Diagonals that are too closely spaced can be a little difficult – they can make an image look a little frenetic or create aliasing effects, so experiment.

The effective use of lines in photography requires some practice, but once you begin to develop a sense for it, the results can be dynamic and impactful. Be cautious of central lines (corner to corner diagonals included) as these can flatten or deaden your image – keep the rule of thirds in mind at all times.

Parker Michaels is a new media consultant and freelance photographer. For more information on lines in photography, visit www.photo-junkie.com.