Leading Lines?

[DRT-Maverick]

Just wondering about techniques on finding leading lines and how to use them correctly. Thanks for the help!

[ziggy53]

I was really hoping one of the other, more familiar, tutors would chime in here. I am not very good at "finding" leading lines myself. What I usually find is accidental and even incidental. I see through the viewfinder, or on the LCD, things which have a symbiotic and complementary relationship. Often, what I see, or thought I saw, doesn't work exactly as I thought it would.


What I understand about Leading Lines is that they are visual, compositional elements, which aid the viewer to rapidly discern the subject of the photograph, or which create the subject itself (the Leading Line is the subject of interest.)

Lines are natural clues which our eyes and brains interpret as significant. They break up tedium and attract our attention. They serve as guides and they serve as inhibitors.

The best explanation is through example. The following links have some pertinant material:

http://www.mashell.com/~parr5/lines.htm
http://www.dpchallenge.com/challenge_results.php?CHALLENGE_ID=71

http://photoinf.com/General/Guy_Tal/Learning_to_Photograph_the_Landscape_Part_II.html
http://photoinf.com/General/Theresa_Husarik/Photography_Tips_-_Composition_Refresher/Leading_Lines.htm
http://www.aea1.k12.ia.us/lois/leadinglines.html
http://www.naturephotographers.net/np101/gt0804-1.html
http://www.thepeaches.com/images/PostAlley-sm.htm
http://www.tpub.com/content/photography/14209/css/14209_122.htm

Later, I'll post some of my own humble examples.

ziggy53

[DRT-Maverick]

Thanks for the help! I'm going to apply some of these soon and see what I can come up with.

[GREAPER]

Leading lines should pull your eye into the photograph, never out of it.

Typically they start in the "front" and lead your eye back.

In this shot the line of the crack in the rock should pull your eye from the lower right, towards the upper left and then back towards the center.

http://dehmphoto.smugmug.com/photos/21687365-M.jpg

In this shot the line of the shore points your eye right to the bridge.

http://dehmphoto.smugmug.com/photos/21688136-M.jpg

In this one the sweep of the handrail leads your eyes to the bridge.

http://dehmphoto.smugmug.com/photos/4383486-M.jpg

Here the tire tracks lead your eyes back to the farmhouse.

http://dehmphoto.smugmug.com/photos/15080857-M.jpg

The line does not actually have to be a "line". It can be elements that line up and form a straight path for your eyes, like this path of rocks.
http://dehmphoto.smugmug.com/photos/9645944-M.jpg

Situations where a pathway of some sort lead back into the photo are pretty good uses of leading lines.

http://dehmphoto.smugmug.com/photos/25504537-M.jpg

http://dehmphoto.smugmug.com/photos/6569712-M.jpg

I hope that helps.

[ziggy53]

Greaper,


Thanks, those are wonderful examples. I especially like the road to the covered bridge and the snow tracks to the farmhouse.

ziggy53