The lines of this foot bridge act like a magnet for the eyes, drawing our gaze to the point where they seem to converge, and adding depth and three-dimensionality.
Lines in an image perform several functions for the photographer. They can be used to elicit a variety of emotional responses from viewers. They can lead the viewer’s eye along a path through the image, or direct the viewer’s attention to a specific object or point. They can aid in setting mood, with gentle, curving lines evoking peacefulness and harsh, serrated lines creating feelings of action or threat.
WE TAKE OUR CUES FROM LINES IN NATURE
Much of the effect of lines in images seems to be based on the way we see lines in nature. A wind acting on a normally-straight tree, for instance, will cause the line of the tree to be curved. We infer beauty and action from any curved line. The same tree, when felled by a lumberman, is a diagonal line as it falls to the ground, and we therefore infer strong dynamic motion from any diagonal line.
EYES FOLLOW LINES
Use converging lines to draw the eye into an image. Straight lines that become narrower as they move away from the foreground have the strongest and most immediate effect on eye movement, and can create a sense of urgency in the viewer. They also lend depth to an image.
Scenes containing straight converging lines can be quite dramatic and powerful. Tall buildings with elements (windows, columns, etc.) that converge in vertical straight lines seem to have more mass because the foreground is “weighted” by the wider positioning of the lines.
Lines that direct the viewer's attention to the image's center of interest are known as leading lines.
S-curved lines that begin at the bottom of the frame draw the viewer into a photograph, taking the eye from a detailed foreground to a center of interest in a middle zone or in the background. Wide-angle lenses are generally quite effective in emphasizing the relationship between foreground and background when both are joined by an S-curved line. S-shaped and meandering lines also contribute to the sense of rhythm of a picture, to its esthetic pleasantness. Any line that is wavy implies a gentle movement that is unhurried and restful.
EFFECTS OF THE SHAPE & ORIENTATION OF LINES
Lines curved in one direction only (C-shaped lines) give the impression of force in the direction of the bend. The greater the arc, the more force is implied. A slight bend is associated with grace and beauty, as in the curved line of swan's neck or a dancer's arched body.
Straight lines give a sense of rigidity and tension, and are less associated with beauty and more with action than curved lines. If your image’s message is one of starkness, harshness, brutality or urgency, the use of straight lines will help to convey that message, usually with greater impersonality and less gentility than curved lines.
A horizontal line signifies rest, like a person sleeping or a fallen tree. It is the least dynamic of all lines. It can evoke a feeling of stability and permanence. A straight vertical line, like a flagpole, also implies stability and balance. The impressions are fortified when the lines are thicker. Vertical lines can imbue a sense of excitement and power. Heavy vertical lines - columns and stately trees, for example - can signify dignity or greatness.
Placement of the horizon line in a composition can be all-important to an image. When it is low in the frame, everything above it is emphasized. Conversely, when the horizon line is placed nearer to the top of the frame, what is below it is given more importance.
Use diagonal lines to create a dynamic feeling, either unbalanced like a pole falling over or directional, like the path of a rocket zooming into the air. When diagonal lines proceed towards a vanishing point, they provide an image with a sense of perspective. The feeling of action or tension created by diagonal lines can be increasingly emphasized if there are a number of lines crossing over each other at acute angles, like the paths of tracer bullets in a battle. Diagonals that are parallel signify greater order, but still imply action.
If lines are jagged and broken, as in the typical zigzag cartoon image of a lightning bolt, they are energetic, threatening and imply a tension that is close to anxiety.
Lines do not have to be obvious, as the lines provided by the rails of a railroad track. They can be suggested or imaginary. For example, object placement can infer a line. Think of a military parade ground where three or more soldiers stand at attention. The eye is drawn from one to the other as if they were connected by a line. And, indeed they are, but the line is an imaginary one that your mind has created.
CAMERA ORIENTATION
When the lines of your subject are mainly vertical or lead your eye in a vertical direction, then shoot the scene with your camera turned vertically. Conversely, horizontal lines generally mean you should use horizontal framing.
Got a mixture of lines going in all directions? Try shooting in both vertical and horizontal format, framing carefully to emphasize the lines that match your camera's orientation.
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Diagonal lines give a sense of imbalance and action.
Lines can draw the eye deep into a picture. And, if they gently curve, they can provide a sense of peace and gracefulness.
Lines themselves can be the subject of an image. These tire marks seem almost three-dimensional, like a coiled spring, whereas the white traffic lines give a feeling of motion.
Strong lines dominate this composition. Because most are parallel and angular, they convey an almost mechanical sense of order.
This diagonal line of the belly dancer's arm practically divides the image in two. The fabric of the veil softens the impact of the line, giving a sense of slow motion.
A mixture of lines creates an interesting composition.
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