The Line Is the First Element of Art to Use in Your Photos
Incorporating the Horizontal Line in Photography
If you want to use the line in photography, I'm sure the first idea you will have in mind is the horizontal line.
The horizontal line is certainly the most used graphic element in photography. The horizon is certainly the most used horizontal line in photography.
It is an anchor point around which you can articulate your compositions.
But be careful because it is not very simple to place well.
A horizontal line in a photo reads like an organic presence. Human beings generally sleep in a horizontal position. That's why we associate horizontal lines with relaxation, rest and stability. Similarly, when we watch the sun rise or fall over the horizon, it evokes the feeling of time passing. It is an unchanging rhythm.
Another interesting fact is that most of our movements are on horizontal paths. A horizontal line in a photo also evoking movement.
If you place your horizon line in the middle of your photo, you will have a well-balanced and well-proportioned composition with half sky and half land. For the viewer, you will provoke a feeling of balance. But personally, I find this kind of composition lacking in boldness and creativity. You don't step out of your comfort zone. You don't take any risks. You just go with the average and try to satisfy everyone.
Personally, I always try to place the horizon line in the lower or upper third of the photo. It will depend on the subject I want to highlight.
When a sky is very cloudy and I want to express anger, disorder, hubbub I will place my horizon line in the lower third. When, for example, I photograph dunes, I put the horizon line in the upper third.
A linear horizon often results in calm, serene, but static photos. But the horizon line is not the only possible horizontal line in photography.
I often use waves on the water to create my abstract plates.
Here are some photos that evoke calm and serenity. They are very relaxing.
A horizontal line is the most static in photography. It is not dynamic. It does not create depth unless several horizontals are aligned. In this case, they generate a pattern effect that can become boring. It is in this case that it is interesting to add an element, as it will break the pattern.
Using the Vertical Line in Photography
The vertical line is the most used line in photography after the horizontal line. It evokes elevation, growth, movement, domination, power. A vertical line is often reinforced by a vertical framing.
If you want to highlight vertical lines, feel free to have them as close to the edges of your photo as possible.
The viewer will then compare them to the vertical sides of the frame. This technique accentuates the height of the subject.
Framing vertical lines horizontally, especially repeating lines, will create a sense of repetition and a sense of depth.
This is the case, for example, with an alignment of trees in a photo. The viewer will mentally create a perspective and project himself into the photo.
A vertical line that cuts the bottom of a photo causes a break, a cut that will divide the image. You will create a symmetry effect. You can place this vertical line in the center of the image or slightly offset to respect the rule of thirds.
If you want to create tension in a photo, I advise you to alternate vertical and horizontal lines. You will create a surprise effect for the viewer. This is why close-up shots of flowers or leaves can be so captivating. While one may say that it is just a boring leaf, a close up shot reveals the alternation of vertical and horizontal lines. It is like a kaleidoscope for the human eye. The same can be said about a butterfly, a shell, a flower, etc.
Like the horizontal line, the vertical line creates stability and order. A vertical line is not dynamic and does not bring depth to a photo. It is the alignment of vertical lines that can create perspective.
Its purpose is to propose a division of the photo.
We are bipeds. We walk upright in a vertical position.
This position symbolizes for us energy, action. It is also a movement, because we can move. That's why using the vertical line in your photos allows you to symbolize endurance and vitality. The vertical line also delineates the growth of the timeline.
Using Diagonal Lines in Photography
The purpose of the diagonal in photography is to make your photos more dynamic.
It will allow you to create an impression of movement and depth.
A diagonal line in a photo causes a sense of instability and precariousness. The first technique for creating a diagonal line is to tilt your camera slightly. You will then use horizontal or vertical lines to transform them.
Another example is paths or roads. To create a depth effect, simply start it in one of the lower corners of your photo to suggest travel. A diagonal line also guides the viewer's eye to a point in the photo.
The diagonal league is powerful in photography. It is a dynamic line.
It can be impetuous because it forces the viewer to follow it. One may heavily incorporate diagonals when photographing the wind blowing through trees, or sunbeams gently shimmering through the water.
The diagonal line brings fantasy to a photo.
It represents strength and vitality. It gives an idea of movement and direction stronger than the horizontal or diagonal line.
The more angled a diagonal line forms with the edge of the frame, the more dynamic it will be.
The diagonal line is, for you as a photographer, one of the main tools to create depth, thanks to the linear perspective. If you use the principle of converging lines, you will give this impression.
The angle of a diagonal line depends on the position of the photographer. This angle depends on his point of view. Lowering or raising yourself immediately changes the layout of a diagonal line.
The use of several diagonal lines in a photo can create elevation. They can create a vibration that plays with our vision like an optical illusion.
Diagonal lines generate a lot of energy in a single photo.
Using the Zigzag Line in Photography
The zigzag lines create a sense of movement and agitation.
These are for example mountain ranges or waves.
A zigzag line breaks the rhythm, it destabilizes the status quo. It is a very strong line to suggest emotions like fear, anger or surprise.
A zigzag line can complement a vertical or horizontal line to create a duality between stability and disorder.
You may spot zigzag lines in nature in animal tracks, such as a snake crossing a path in the sand, or in the silhouette of a live action shot of a bird leaping into flight.
Use of Curved Lines in Photography
The curved line is one of the most common lines you can find in nature. It is for example dunes, the top of a tree. Curved lines are everywhere.
When you photograph it, you may think of softness, calm, and comfort.
For a viewer, the curved line is easy to read. It is soothing and relaxing. There is no conflict suggested. The angles are rounded, thus suggesting consensus.
They also express sensuality, for example, one can almost feel the heat of the sun bouncing off the glowing sand dunes, or the spray of an ocean wave coming towards the viewer. A curved line can also express softness, such as the curved silhouette of a mother deer leaning in towards her fawn, or a fern delicately bowing down to the earth.
Like the diagonal line, the curved line can express movement. But in a much more subtle way. Indeed, it is less directive. The eye of the viewer will follow it in a natural way, as it is a very dynamic line.
It gradually changes the direction of the eye. The curved line brings elegance to a photo. Imagine the movement of a high fashion garment worn by a model. The fabrics twirl while giving elegance.
The effect of a curved league is enhanced by the focal length of a wide-angle lens.
Curved lines induce activity, liveliness on the contrary of straight lines like the horizontal line, the vertical line or the diagonal line which induces stability, relaxation.
The curved lines induce and give rhythm. They provide a sense of calm and ease.
Using Imaginary Lines in Photography
The imaginary line is also called the implicit line. It is created by the other visual components of a photo: the lines of sight, the movements, the direction of a glance, etc.
An imaginary line does not physically exist like a horizon line or the trunk of a tree. It is guessed. It is suggested. Yet it draws the viewer's eye from one point to another in a photograph.
An imaginary line gives momentum and narrative to a photo even if it is invisible. For example, one may spot imaginary lines when seeing
- Direction of a glance.
- Drawing on a sand.
Although these images do not directly portray a physical line, one can see the line that is implied from the setting and tone of the photo.
