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Line. You could say that a line is an edge, a border between one thing and another. It can also be the connection between two things, like a clothes line tied between two trees.
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You could say that a line is an edge, a border between one thing and another. It can also be the connection between two things, like a clothes line tied between two trees.
Virtually every photograph, of course, has lines in it. Some of these lines do more than merely divide or connect objects. They may also suggest moods and rhythm, create patterns, and indicate directions and structure.
The various qualities of the lines in a photograph combine to produce an overall impression, called line.
Line may be a subject in itself (as it will be in your first assignment), or it can play a supporting role for another subject.
Objects of the same height (such as a row of fence posts) and the border between a building and the sky both produce an implied line that works just as well.
As pattern, line is often a photograph's primary element. The lines themselves interact in some interesting way that is more important than any other elements within the frame. A photograph of buildings or cornfields or blades of grass is likely to emphasize pattern. • All of these possibilities boil down to three basic functions: pattern, direction and structure.
As direction, line helps the viewer's eye travel around the picture. Visually, the lines say, "Go here. Look at that. Stop. Move on." Without directing lines, the overall image can simply seem like chaos (which, of course, may be the photographer's intention).
As structure, line divides a photograph into smaller areas, providing a skeleton to support the other elements and link them together. A photograph of several faces peeking out of windows is one example of this.
Line also conveys movement, or the lack of it. A rigid grid of straight lines tends to make an image appear static, flat, and immobile.
Lines that converge (that are closer together at one end than at the other) or that shoot off toward the corners of the frame tend to suggest motion.
Straight lines suggest the full-speed-ahead motion of a train, or the up-and-down of a piston.
Finally, different kinds of lines express different moods or emotions. Horizontal lines tend to indicate a sense of homeostasis (lack of change). This use in an image often projects a feeling that an image, or part of one, is somehow frozen at a point in time.
Vertical lines can project either a mood of stability or peace. When projecting a mood of stability, they often function similarly to horizontal lines. This can convey an implication of substance or permanence. Proper use of vertical lines can also impart an impression of peace and tranquility. Examples of this use are trees in a fog shrouded forest, old fence posts on an isolated prairie, and a figure on a secluded beach in the early morning. Examples of vertical lines used to impart a mood of stability can be found in rock formations, power line poles, and vertical lines of buildings.
Diagonal lines can convey a sense of action or make an image more dynamic. For this reason, diagonals are a very powerful tool. Their power resides in their ability to grab the attention of the viewer.
Jagged and irregular lines take us one step further on the continuum of emotion and feeling. While diagonals move us into the area of the dynamic, jagged and irregular lines often impart a sense of unease, tension, or fear to the viewer of the image.
When using lines to direct the viewer’s attention, two rules need to be followed. First, make sure that the lines always point toward the most important object in the image. This will direct the viewer’s attention directly to that object. Second, make sure that the lines never point outside of the image. Lines that point outside the image will make the viewer’s eye leave the image. This weakens the image and may result in the viewer losing interest in the image entirely As powerful as lines are in helping to create a mood in an image, they become even more powerful when they are also used to direct the viewer’s attention.
Here's a short list: sidewalks, streets, telephone poles, buildings, bowls, wheels, trees, grass, rivers, forks and spoons, cracks, mountains, pencils, curtains, clothing, hands, arms, chairs, fields, tennis courts, bleachers and jungle-gyms. • Before you can use them, however, you have to find them. Where should you look? Well, just about anywhere.
And just as a sentence may have verbs, adverbs, objectives and prepositions, a photograph may have movement, mood, perspective and relation. Understanding line is the first step toward learning to express yourself in the photographic language.
