Leading lines is one of the most helpful concepts for photographers to use in order to create great photos no matter where they are. It is, quite simply, using lines in your photographs to guide the viewer’s eye. As we have already discussed, the human brain likes to be guided, so as photographers we should look to use the lines that we find in everyday life to steer or lead the viewer to a single point within our photographs. This is called the focal point of the photo, because it is the point where you want your viewer to focus.
The lines you use for this can be found in almost anything: Buildings, streets, landscapes, water and plenty more.
In this example, the lines begin at the outside of the frame and guide the viewer’s eyes inward towards a single point.
Most leading lines found in photography can be categorised into two types: - Geometric leading lines - Organic leading lines
Geometric lines are straight and often man made. They are often found on streets or buildings, and because they are usually straight they are therefore much more obvious lines for your viewer’s eye to follow.
Organic lines are often found in nature, such as: hills, pathways, rivers, trees or even reflections. They tend to bend and curve much more than geometric lines, but they always lead to a specific area. Notice how in these examples there isn’t always a clean, literal line but instead parts of the photo (like the bottoms of the trees, for example) all take your eye to the same spot.
Your leading lines don’t have to be found in the objects in your photo, they can also be created by the contrast between light and dark in your image, or even in the difference between colours, like a green set of trees against a blue sky.
Task 1: Watch this video to recap what the compositional guideline of leading lines is and see them being used practically.
Task 2: Green (grade 1/2) a)Find the ‘Leading Lines’ slide on your Google Slides template.
b) Write one sentence on your page about what Leading Lines are in photography.
c) Begin to add two suitable examples from the internet to your slide to demonstrate each of the following types of leading lines (so you should have 4 images in total): Geometric Organic d) Write the type of leading line which the photo is demonstrating underneath each image.
Amber (grade 3/4) a) Take a look at this website which includes some great examples of leading lines:
b) Open your 'Composition’ Google Slide from last lesson and add a new slide.
c) Title your slide ‘Leading Lines’. d) Write a brief definition of what leading lines is and why we use them in photography.
e) Find three (or more) examples for each of the main types of leading lines and explain how you might each type of leading lines in your photography. Use the sentence starters below if you need help getting started: - This photo shows... - ... is useful in photography to enhance your photographs because... - To use leading lines effectively in your photographs you need to...
Red (grades 5+) As with the amber task, but also give examples of when it might be best to use each type of leading line in a photo (what does it make your eyes focus on, what meaning might it give to the photograph? etc)