Lines and Shapes in Photography
Posted on August 11, 2009
Filed Under Digital Camera Features, Good Digital Cameras |
Photography isn’t just about including the desired subjects inside the frame. It is a process similar to painting in which you try to convey a message or strike an emotion. A strong composition is the product of a thoughtful study of the environment around you, its lines, shapes, and the patterns they form.
Lines can have a very nice impact on your composition making it more appealing. Using them correctly can totally transform the mood of your photo as well as add a more depth to it.
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 .
If you look around, you’ll probably notice that vertical lines are even more abundant. 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.
Diagonal lines are even more usable than the previous two types. 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 also give a feeling of dynamic action. A compositional convention is to avoid placing diagonal lines on the diagonal of the photograph as the photo will look split.
The perspective usually control how the lines exist inside the photo. 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.In order to let shapes have a strong impact in your photograph, try to make your object as different as possible from its surroundings in terms of colors or details . Thus, the edges of your object will be clear, and consequently, its shape will be very well defined.
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.
Lines and shapes are abundant around us; we just have to remember how to utilize them efficiently.
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