Add Dynamic Power with Diagonal Lines

First, sorry that I've been away from the blog for the past week or so--just a case of spring fever and spending more time outdoors and less sitting at the computer. How I'm going to get through another summer of writing I don't know. Oh, but there is always my garden to tend in summer, so that keeps me from spending too much time at the computer. I actually haven't started a single seed indoors yet, and usually I've got a lot going by now, but I'll catch up this week--time to start those tomatoes or I'll be buying plants and I much prefer to grow my own. By the way, if you're looking for a good source of seeds, check out the Seed Savers Exchange site--a fantastic source for heirlooms seeds of all types.

OK, back to photography for a few minutes. When I was looking for an image/idea or today's post, I came across this shot of a "scarf dancer" (I don't know what her real title would be) that I shot last summer. The performer is a member of the family of acrobats that travel with Tino Wallenda and the Flying Wallendas. The thing that struck me about this shot, other than the very symbolic-looking Easter/spring colors (a good topic for another posting), were all the powerful diagonals in this shot. The ropes, her body, the scarf--all have a very powerful diagonal orientation. Even within the lines of her body are several very bold diagonal lines.

In terms of composition, diagonal lines emphasize power, strength and the feeling of impending movement--while horizontal lines, for example, bring to mind concepts of stability or balance, diagonals are better at creating a feeling that things are changing. If you look at a see-saw, for instance, you inherently know that when two people get on it, the balance is inevitably going to shift and the mind picks up on this idea whenever it sees diagonals, whether we realize it or not. You feel the same type of implied motion if you see a person walking up a hill--there is a much more dynamic feel to the scene that if you were to photograph that person walking down a flat sidewalk--yes? It's interesting to think of the psychological implications that something as simple as the direction of a line can impart to a composition and how you can change peoples' interpretations of a scene just by the way that you orient the lines within the frame. And, as with this scene, any time you multiply the number of lines, you intensify those feelings.

Experiment with the Direction of Lines

Whenever you have a strong existing line (like fence cutting through a landscape, for example) or a definite row of objects (like the flower pots shown here) running through the frame, the way that you arrange those lines in relationship to the edges of the frame can have a powerful influence in our interpretation of that scene.

Strong horizontal lines, for example, impart a feeling of stability and strength and they provide a sense of equilibrium. You know that when you have a crooked horizon in a sunset photo, for instance, that it's very unsettling--it makes it feel like the earth is sitting sideways. And strong vertical lines (trees, telephone poles, people standing) make the scene seem taller and provide a feeling of strength or even energy. Think how different it is when a waterfall is framed so that the flow of water runs from the top to the bottom of the frame rather than from side to side. The vertical framing shows force and power while the horizontal frame is much more peaceful and harmonious.

In between the two, of course, are diagonal lines. A strong diagonal line, whether it's a road going through the frame or just a row of objects (like the row of flower pots here), create a more dynamic flow to an image. Most importantly, diagonals provide a very real sense of motion and, even in a quiet still life like this one, provide the feeling that something is happening, that the composition has rhythm and flow. Try it sometime. Photograph a row of flower pots or perhaps some colored bottles on your front step from three different angles: so that they run vertically, horizontally and diagonally across the frame and see which you like best. There's no right or wrong, just a different feeling for each choice.

Entice the Eye with Leading Lines

Lines are like a visual siren song to the eye: where lines lead, the eyes will follow. If you've ever stood beside a long flat road leading off to the horizon, you know that it's almost impossible not to follow the road down to its vanishing point. I think it's just part of our visual curiosity; our brains just need to know the end of the story. Lines are easy to find in most outdoor scenes: fences, roads, a row of sailboats in a harbor. The key to using lines to entice the eye is to find a vantage point the provides a clear view of the lines and then to compose the shot to accent those lines. I photographed these corn rows early one spring near Prairie City, Iowa and shot from the raised road shoulder to get a little bit of height. I love the way the rows just seem to disappear over the hill. In this case the lines themselves became the subject.