Basics of composition. Using Guide Lines

How to work with composition lines

We continue to talk about working with composition.

Drew Hopper is a fine art and landscape photographer from Australia. In an effort to see and show everyone the diversity of cultures, people and places, he travels a lot and also writes articles about photography. In this article, using examples of his work, he explains how to correctly build a composition in photographs.

“In a nutshell, composition describes the position of elements in a photograph. A strong composition often has leading lines that direct the viewer's attention to your character or subject. These lines can be horizontal, vertical or diagonal depending on the character's positioning.

Let's take a look at the following pictures and see how I constructed the images using leading lines. I've marked them with arrows to explain how I saw and composed each frame.

In this photo, I wanted to lead the viewer’s gaze deeper into the frame, along a long corridor, while allowing the young monk’s gaze to go in the opposite direction, but along the same diagonal lines. A woman with a basket on her head in the background walking along the gallery also helped create the direction. Notice the repeating motif created by the columns getting smaller and smaller. This allowed us to create depth in the photo, despite the fact that the monk in the foreground is in focus.

This is a fairly simple composition where the character is in the center. I framed the frame so that the fishing net creates diagonal lines that lead to the fisherman. The photo was taken with a wide-angle lens, the distortion helped give the image depth.

The focus in this shot is on the young monks, but I also wanted to capture the light and use the sun's rays as leading lines. By framing the image so that the monks were sitting under the beams, I was able to direct the viewer's gaze to their books. At the same time, the lines created by the wall on the left edge direct attention to the children themselves.

Here I framed the frame so that the young monk was in the left third of the image, with the columns on the right adding depth to the image. The lines of the gallery direct the eye towards the monk, while the lines of the ceiling lead the viewer's eyes downwards. The eyes of the monk himself, walking forward, are also lowered. This is a very simple but powerful composition shot with a wide angle lens.

Another shot where the character is in the center. Here I used a low angle for shooting and a wide angle lens for distortion - this allowed me to direct diagonal and horizontal lines towards the monk. Floor tiles also create leading lines that extend into the frame and keep the composition compact.

The composition in this shot is unusual for my work - I usually don't like slanted horizons. But in this case it worked great. I shot from a low angle while sitting in a boat. When the fisherman lifted the basket, a reflection appeared in the water, which added an additional line leading to the center of the frame. A horizon line running from the lower left to the upper right creates a diagonal composition.

Another fairly simple composition. The light was coming from the left, so I positioned the young monk on the right side of the frame so that he was looking in the opposite direction of the rays. Additionally, the light shining on the monk created a sharp contrast that helped make the photo stronger."

COMPOSITION BASICS: The power of lines

We've already talked about the golden ratio, now let's look at other compositional elements that can be used in photography.

A very powerful tool for improving composition in photography is the use of lines . Firstly, they create a mood, and secondly, they “lead” the viewer’s eyes through the photograph to the main subject of the photograph. The photographer seems to take the viewer by the hand and lead him through the area, showing the way.

Lines in a composition can be divided into the following types:

• horizontal;
• vertical;
• diagonal;
• all the rest are broken, curved, arched, “S”-shaped, etc.

HORIZONTAL LINES IN COMPOSITION

Horizontal lines represent serenity and peace, balance and infinity. In a photo they give the feeling that time has stopped and can be used to contrast with another more dynamic part of the photo. The line of a reservoir, the horizon line, fallen objects, sleeping people - these are all examples of images that speak of permanence and timelessness. To prevent photographs consisting entirely of horizontal lines from being boring, you need to add some object to the frame. A beautiful stone on the seashore that touches the sky, a lonely tree in a field, etc.

VERTICAL LINES IN COMPOSITION

Vertical ones convey the mood of power, strength, stability (skyscrapers) as well as growth and life (trees). The correct use of vertical lines can also impart a sense of peace and tranquility. For example, a tree in a fog-shrouded forest, old pillars in the water, or a field, a figure on a secluded beach early in the morning. When vertical lines are repeated, they create rhythm in the photograph and enhance dynamics.

DIAGONAL LINES IN COMPOSITION

Diagonal lines indicate movement and add dynamism to the photo. Their strength lies in their ability to hold the viewer’s attention: his gaze, as a rule, moves along the diagonals. Examples of diagonals are numerous: roads, streams, waves, tree branches, etc. You can place multiple objects diagonally. The colors of one object can also be diagonal. Using diagonal lines, place them just above or below the left corner of the photo as our eyes scan the image from left to right. This will also prevent the frame from being visually split into two parts. Always leave “room for a step” in front of a moving object - this will give it even more dynamics.

CURVE LINES IN COMPOSITION

Curved lines are elegant, sensual, dynamic, creating the illusion of liveliness and diversity. They can bring an object closer or further away or create balance. “C”-shaped curved lines or arcs are the most common - because they are the shore of the sea, lake, rounded stone, rock or curved stems of grass. If we talk about architecture, then these are arches. Several repeating arches look very impressive.

S-SHAPED CURVE IN COMPOSITION

Such lines are also called beauty lines. This is an aesthetic concept, a component of artistic composition, a wavy, bending curved line that gives the image a special grace. The human body is the best example, from the arch of the foot to the curve of the neck.

The “S” shaped curve is the mouths of rivers, winding roads, paths.

The frame can combine straight and curved lines. This gives the frame composition balance and stability. The body of this acoustic guitar is a perfect example of the "S" shaped curve. Notice the use of other lines in this photo - the diagonal lines of the guitar strings, and the horizontal lines - the sheet music in the background.

BROKEN LINES IN COMPOSITION

Broken lines give the pictures an alarming and even aggressive character. This impression when viewing photographs with broken lines occurs due to the fact that the eye often has to “jump” along the lines and change direction.

LEADING LINES IN THE COMPOSITION

A special role in linear constructions in the frame is given to lines, which are usually called “ leading lines ” or “ leading lines ”. These are real or imaginary lines that originate at one of the lower corners of the frame and go into its depth, most often to the semantic center of the picture, located at the “golden ratio” point. Photographs built on this principle are easy to “read”; their content reaches the viewer’s consciousness almost instantly, and this is one of the main conditions for a good composition.

Remember that lines themselves are not a panacea when composing a composition. If the photo is not rich in content, but only includes individual elements that coincide with imaginary lines or curves (such as road markings, light trails left by headlights, lanterns, grilles, house arches, bridge arches, embankment parapets, river bends, etc.) - this is not a composition yet. Lines help us outline the path of the viewer's gaze, and accordingly decipher the story contained in the photograph or the story that we want to convey to him. They also serve to convey depth in the photo.

The lines themselves, apart from the surrounding objects and color-tonal environment, do not mean anything, so the content of the frame is the basis of success!

Lines in composition - their role and use. Skyline.

Lines can be real or virtual, speculative objects - as was shown in the article about active points of the image. Even a large painting has its origins in the lines of the sketch; the lines create the outlines of all the objects in the image.

Lines in the theory of composition can be real or virtual, speculative objects - as was shown in the article about active points of the image. Even a large painting has its origins in the lines of the sketch; the lines create the outlines of all the objects in the image. The role of lines is also surprising in the understanding that they can both unite various compositional elements of an image and separate them!

Lines are like a speculative construction. Our visual perception, driven by the brain, strives to simplify the visible world, for example -. emphasizing the edges and contours of objects, looks for connections in the mass of similar objects - so, for example, seeing a mountain of stones on a construction site - you will first of all perceive it as a mountain , the fact that it consists of many elements of different shapes and sizes - will not occupy our mind much consciousness. Edge Picker tool in Photoshop acts much like a person, combining minimally similar elements of a photo - emphasizing their common features, enlarging, and focusing the viewer's attention on them.

One of the most important lines in photography is the horizon line .

The horizon at sea is usually perceived as a real straight line and you need to be VERY careful with it, leveling it - without allowing the horizon to “collapse” (unless the oblique horizon is a conscious artistic device in the frame). If the water/sky horizon line is not clearly horizontal, it creates a feeling of tension in the viewer, a feeling that something is clearly wrong in the photograph. This is due to the fact that water at rest always has a completely “horizontal” surface. If you are photographing mountains, then an error in a slightly “cluttered” horizon will not be so noticeable, although here we advise you to be careful, leveling the horizon as much as possible when shooting, otherwise an attentive viewer may also suspect an error.

Skyline. Hover your mouse over the image to compare the normal and “cluttered” horizon. In the second frame, the sea seems to be flowing somewhere to the right. Although the deviation from the true horizontal is only 2 degrees.

It's especially difficult to level the horizon when you have curved coastlines and mountain slopes in front of you at the same time, and it can be difficult to understand where the true horizon is, so some photographers use a tripod with a bubble level in such cases, or mount this tool on the camera.

Frame without horizon line . Establishing the horizon line in such a frame may not be easy, since the horizon is generally not visible. But in this case, you can focus on the verticals of the trees. And in general, in such frames, horizontal alignment is less important than in a frame with a sea horizon.

Lines such as telephone wires, or the condensation trail from a passing airplane, can interfere with the composition, especially if you are photographing a natural landscape. On the other hand, they can decorate the sky in some photographs.

An airplane's contrail line as part of a composition when photographing the sky.
Some rights reserved by Rob the moment

Properties of lines, Line shapes of image composition

If you see a vertical line, then such a line itself will never cause tension in the frame, since it is in a state of equilibrium - our perception tells us that the forces acting on this line are equal on all sides, or are absent altogether - therefore it has the ability to be in a stable vertical position. The same applies to the horizontal line.

If we see a line slightly curved on one side, then we subconsciously begin to think that it is curved under the action of certain forces acting on it. If the bend is not great and the line as a whole is horizontal or vertical, then such a line is usually perceived as stable.

A line that deviates from the vertical or horizontal is perceived as unstable. The most unstable line is considered to be one inclined by 45 degrees.

Composition lines and their shapes

Sinuous, lines that twist like the letter S - can be considered either stable, balanced, or unstable - depending on the specific shape. For example, a slightly curved “accordion” line located vertically may well be considered stable; a certain tension will also be felt in it, like a spring. Slightly curved horizontal lines are, for example, horizon lines in a mountain landscape, the bends of rivers or the human body.

Lines are diagonals

A special case of an inclined line is a diagonal. That is, a line - going from one corner of the image - to another corner. An inclined line - or even a diagonal - can be created even from the “horizontal” horizon itself, by photographing, for example, a horizontal line - with a camera turned relative to the horizon line at a certain angle.

Composition with a diagonal.
The dynamics are palpable. Some rights reserved by pierre bedat

Due to the fact that the eyes of a European person usually study an image from the upper left corner, gradually shifting to the lower right, diagonals drawn from the upper left corner to the lower right, and diagonals drawn from the upper right corner to the lower left, cause slightly different responses in the viewer's mind. Although this difference is not always obvious. It is believed that the main thing that the diagonal brings to the frame is tangible dynamics! But there are also very “peaceful”, balanced compositions using diagonals.

A calmer composition with a diagonal line.
"up" from Mikelo

Curved lines, "line of beauty"

Lines with soft curves are usually perceived as the most beautiful (it is believed that they are associated by our subconscious with the lines of the human body).

In the theory of composition, there is even such a concept as the “line of beauty”, or “S-shaped line”, this concept was introduced into use by the artist William Hogarth back in 1753 in the book “Analysis of Beauty”. William Hogarth believed that this line is an integral part of any beautiful image.

In accordance with the theory of this artist, such a line has a clear advantage over straight lines, or intersecting at right angles, or parallel lines - which, according to this theory, create the impression of static, unnatural, “artificial” in the image. But the S-shaped line is considered inherent to all living beings (especially people), and, accordingly, to everything beautiful. In this case, even a hint of such a line shape is enough.

Study for “Madonna in the Grotto” by Leonardo da Vinci and one of the possible “lines of beauty” of this sketch.

Active image lines

In conclusion of this material, I would like to once again mention active (“speculative” or “optical”) lines, which we already wrote about in the material about the role of dots in composition. In this case we use the term A.I. Lapin, in English - these lines are called “leading”.

I would like to once again emphasize the importance of these lines. It is known that the eye, when examining any image, does not move evenly across it, but from point to point (“active points”), along certain lines. The eye finds, first of all, the points of maximum curvature of the contour of the object in question, the highest contrast areas of the image, as well as the points of intersection of various contours of objects, since they indicate the relative position of objects in the frame.

It is very important to understand that the human eye, when examining an image, is guided not by the real lines present in the image, but by the above-mentioned elements.

For example, when examining a portrait, the active points are the eyes, nose, lips, and active lines run between them.

Active lines and active points in a portrait. The lines show the “route of travel” of the human gaze through the portrait, the dark areas are the stopping points of attention.

What is the practical meaning of active lines and how can they be used in practice?

The practical significance of active lines is that knowing the principles by which they are formed, we can predict with a high degree of probability how our photograph, for example, will be visually viewed (read). What will he pay attention to at the beginning, and what will he pay attention to later? and what - he won’t pay attention at all. For example, if there are two people in the frame whose gazes are directed at each other, then the active line will be the line between these people, and the active points will be these two people, and the viewer will practically not pay attention to the background of this image (if there is, of course, there will be no stronger active points).

Lines can also be extremely important for conveying perspective and depth of the frame, but this is a slightly different topic.

Horizontal lines when building a composition - experts will tell you how to use them correctly

If we evaluate the surrounding reality by the number of dimensions, it turns out that there are more long horizontal lines than vertical ones. And that's okay. Vertical structures are limited by the force of gravity and the rotation of the planet. An experienced photographer must organize the composition of the image in such a way that the image does not crumble into a separate mosaic, but is a single whole. It is necessary to take into account horizontal lines when building a composition in order to highlight the most important thing in the photograph, while making secondary details almost invisible.

Horizontal lines surrounded

In life, a person constantly encounters horizontal lines. Pedestrian paths or highways, railway tracks and many other objects that surround us. In some sources you can read that horizontal lines in a photograph represent serenity, peace and harmony. This statement is easy to refute. There is no serenity in the photograph, where a human figure is depicted behind several rows of barbed wire. A sword piercing an opponent in a lunge also does not speak of peace and harmony. Horizontals can convey a whole range of opposing emotions. It all depends on the composition and skill of the photographer.

Horizontal lines in frame composition

In a photograph, the horizontal lines are always parallel to the frame boundaries located above and below. It is generally accepted that objects where the height is much greater than the width should be photographed in a vertical format, but it is better not to photograph calm and flat landscapes this way. Basically, this principle justifies itself. The choice of format depends on the position of the camera at the time of shooting. You can rotate the finished photo in a photo editor, but the artistic value of the photo will be low. Beginning photographers generally make three mistakes:

• The horizon crosses the frame in the middle;
• The parallel with the frame boundaries is not maintained;
• The image is overloaded with horizontal lines.

When taking landscape photography, the horizon is a very important element of composition. If it is positioned incorrectly, the photo can be considered damaged. Experienced photographers use an immutable rule: the horizon should not be located in the center of the frame. If you divide the photo into three parts, then it should be located in the upper or lower third of the photo. When the horizon is at the bottom of the photo, the focus is on the top area. This allows you to show all the shades of a sunset, or thunderclouds of an original shape. When the sky is completely clear, the horizon should be raised a little, otherwise the photo will look empty and boring.

If the horizon is located at the top of the photo, then the foreground becomes dominant. This technique is used when they want to show interesting objects or objects located below and expressing the main meaning of the photograph. A horizon that crosses the photo in the middle is allowed only in one case. This is taking a photograph with symmetrical reflection. A sky with beautiful clouds mirrored in calm water is a winning shot. The horizon in the center can be used in staged photographs. Here everything completely depends on the artistic intention of the photographer.

The second error is associated with accidentally tilting the camera to the left or right, which creates an angle with the boundaries of the frame. Even a slight deviation can ruin the entire composition of the photo. Viewers will have the feeling that everything depicted in the picture is collapsing and falling. Such a defect during shooting can be corrected in a photo editor, but the composition of the photo may suffer as a result. Another mistake is related to the excess of horizontal lines. This could be the upper edge of the forest, its lower edge, even rows of planted plants, and a road crossing the photograph across the entire field of the frame. Such an abundance of smooth horizontal lines must be balanced by a large object that will balance the photo. In landscape photography, this could be a haystack, a windmill, a solitary plant that stands out, or a compact group of trees. This dominant object should be located at the points of the “golden ratio”.

In photography, the principle of harmony close to ideal is called the rule of thirds. In this case, the frame field is divided into nine proportional parts. In order to draw attention to those objects that embody the creative intent of the photographer, they must be placed at points of intersection. For some cameras, the grid can be turned on as needed. This approach helps the novice photographer to properly balance the photo and highlight the dominant elements.

Practical photography, especially its artistic subsection, is a creative process. Therefore, many experienced craftsmen violate accepted rules and canons. Someone abandons the principle of the “golden ratio”, creating a frame composition that completely contradicts all the laws of the genre. Some people try to avoid parallel horizontal lines by changing the composition of the frame or shooting at a certain angle. Beginners should first master the classical basics of composition and only then embody their own fantasies in photographs. You should not shoot a landscape with long horizontal lines by turning the camera to a vertical plane. Such a frame will look unnatural and cropped.

Guide lines in the frame

Read also:

1. D-40 shows karma inherited from the maternal side, D-45 shows karma inherited from the father's side. They are only useful in king cards.
2. Straight line output algorithms
3. Overhead power lines
4. Question No. 5. Preparing the air line for military transportation.
5. Line output
6. Calculating the horizontal projection of an inclined terrain line
7. Main plane lines
8. Main plane lines
9. Phase diagrams of binary alloys. Critical points and lines.
10. Two-wire line inductance
11. Research by N.S., on the phase plane. Special lines.
12. Comprehensive drawing of a cylindrical helix

Diagonal Golden Ratio Rule

Another application of the golden ratio rule. Let's apply a diagonal grid to the image as shown in the photo below. The main objects of the image should be located in the resulting sections.

Leading lines also play an important role in the composition of a shot. The elegance of the lines and their direction determine the mood and dynamics of the photo; in addition, they can be used to direct the viewer’s gaze to important elements in the photo. Thus, diagonal lines give the picture dynamism, while diagonals directed from the lower left corner to the upper right give a positive mood to the card, while diagonals built from the upper left corner to the lower right give a pessimistic mood.

Lines can be either real or conditional. Examples of real lines include the horizon, the road, and folds of clothing. Real lines result from light or color contrast. The conditional lines are not so obvious. These lines do not exist visually, but we can get them by mentally connecting some points in space. This could be the line of the shoulders or eyes, the direction of movement of cirrus clouds, trees growing along the road. The main thing is that these lines do not divide the frame in half. This is just as bad as placing the center of interest of your photo in the center of the frame.

Lines are usually used to lead the viewer's eye to the semantic center of the photograph. An example is a road that is quite wide in the foreground, but gradually narrows diagonally and goes deeper into the frame and leads us to the figure of a traveler. Photographs that show a clear diagonal give the impression of movement and multidimensionality. Relying on the diagonal is one of the classic techniques for constructing a composition.

Lines of various shapes are also strong elements of composition. Horizontal lines usually enhance significance, strength and monumentality in a composition, while vertical and diagonal lines create a sense of movement and speed. A curved line in the shape of the English letter S is very attractive in a composition - for example, a winding road going beyond the horizon. Compositions also often use curves in the form of C, Z and big L (both straight and inverted). Repeated lines, in turn, seem to attract the viewer’s eye to a plot-important detail in the photograph.

It should be noted that the use of leading lines is practically a necessary condition when shooting portraits (we are not talking about shooting close-up portraits, when only the subject’s face is in the frame).

The bending shape of the coastal strip forms a “snake-like” line, which leads the eye to the far shore, refreshed by the sun, and further to the pre-storm sky, interesting in its texture. The birch tree on the left forms the foreground, the reed thickets form the center of the composition. As a disadvantage of this card, one should consider the “fusion” of the birch crown and the extreme point of the protruding herbal soap.

A frame where the leading lines literally form a three-dimensional three-dimensional space. The horizontal lines of the staircase and the lines of the light path lift the viewer into the colonnade, the vertical lines of the columns lead him deeper into the frame. The scale of the photograph and the naturalness of its perception are emphasized by the play of linear perspective, a decrease in the size of objects from the beginning to the end of the frame. The volume is emphasized by the pattern of sunlight on the edges of the columns.

The crossed legs of the model form a kind of “arrow”, which directs the viewer’s gaze from the feet above, to the place where, on the model’s knees, the “arrow” ends. Next, the gaze passes along the hands and goes to the model’s face.

The balance of this frame is due to the presence of a triangle in the frame formed by two photographers and the direction of the lens of the person sitting. In addition, the harmony of the composition is emphasized by the monochromatic black background, which occupies most of the frame.

Date added: 2014-01-05; Views: 823; Copyright infringement? ;

Your opinion is important to us! Was the published material useful? Yes | No

How to use lines in photo compositions?

by Zsolt Varanka

One of the powerful methods of influencing the viewer's attention is the use of lines in the composition of the photo. Lines act in two ways. Firstly, they create a certain mood, setting the viewer up for the desired perception, and secondly, they “guide” the eyes through the photograph, thus facilitating the necessary reading of the photograph by the viewer, keeping the emphasis on the main thing.

When working with lines, a photographer can use the following techniques for their location:

• horizontal lines
• vertical
• diagonal in the photo
• jagged and irregular lines

Horizontal lines tend to evoke a feeling of calm, lack of change.
Horizontal lines are often used for such images when the photographer wants to show timelessness or the absence of change and movement in the picture. When there is a desire to emphasize that the whole moment or part of it is frozen.

by Ashwanth Kadiyala

Horizontal lines should be used when there is a need to contrast contrast with a more dynamic part of the image. For example, wires in the sky, so hated by many photographers, harmonize well with their clarity and regularity with the bustle of the street, the turbulent flow of life, or simply movement that can be captured at the bottom of the picture.

Vertical lines create a mood of stability and calm in the surrounding space. When projecting a mood of permanence, lines often act in the same way as horizontal lines. The upward orientation conveys this sense of permanence to the image. Examples of the proper use of a vertical line to give stability to images can be found in mountains, power poles, and the vertical lines of buildings.

The correct use of a vertical line can also set the viewer up for a feeling of peace and tranquility. For example, trees in the fog, when vertical silhouettes are visible, old fence posts or folded beach umbrellas in the early morning by the sea.

Diagonal lines convey the meaning of actions and make the image more dynamic. For this reason, diagonals are considered a very powerful tool. Their strength lies in their ability to capture the viewer’s attention, direct it in the right direction and hold it for as long as required by the plot. The viewer's gaze tends to move back and forth along the diagonals.

by Stanislav Sav-in

Diagonal lines can be formed not only by objects such as streets, sidewalks or roads, but also by color. For example, diagonal color separation can add drama to an image. Examples of diagonals are numerous: roads, paths, rivers, waves and many more are just a few examples of objects that can be converted into diagonal shape.

Jagged and irregular lines contain emotions and feelings. Diagonal irregular lines will immerse the viewer in a sense of urgency and dynamics, while jagged lines will fill the viewer with anxiety and fear when viewing the image.

By using the intensity of arrays of irregular or jagged lines, the viewing of images and the degree of perception of viewers can be controlled. This is why, in fact, a photographer learns to use visual images correctly.

by Getting There

Examples of jagged lines can be found in tree roots, mountain peak lines, or in twisted metal at an accident site or factory warehouse.

Those lines become a powerful weapon in the hands of the photographer, with the help of which it is possible to help the viewer see exactly the image and the mood that he wanted to convey.

When using lines of directed attention, two rules must be followed. First, you should make sure that the lines always point to the most important objects in the image. This also allows you to direct the viewer’s attention.

by Miles Morgan

Secondly, make sure that there are no noticeable “dots” along the lines that can lead the viewer’s gaze to the side when he should clearly follow the direction of the line that the photographer “laid” for him specifically so that he could feel everything the image as a whole.

Extra lines and dots outside the image scatter attention, the direction of the gaze changes and the necessary concentration for full awareness of the image is lost, a loss of interest occurs, and the entire photograph becomes boring to perceive.

by Joseba Herrero

Not even the most advanced and modern technology can replace a photographer’s knowledge of composition. If you want to learn how to take photographs and make photographs that are interesting to the outside eye, you should always carefully study the theory, and photography lessons from professional photographers can be a good help in mastering it.

Photogora video channel