Line is a rich metaphor for the artist. It denotes not only boundary, edge or contour, but is an agent for location, energy, and growth. It is literally movement and change – life itself.
–Lance Esplund
AT THE BEGINNING IS A DOT
We live in a world filled with lines – defined, implied and metaphorical. We draw lines in the sand, color within the lines, stand on lines, create boundaries with lines and even use lines for writing. We find lines in music, poetry, fabric, work, roads, architecture and, especially, in nature. Without lines, we would have no shapes or forms or outlines of shapes. Lines have quality (thick, thin), create contours and even have textures (smooth, rough). They are a basic building block in art.
In geometry, there are four main types of lines – horizontal, vertical, parallel and perpendicular. Lines are described in many different ways – straight, wavy, curved, dotted, broken, zig zag, diagonal, and so on. There is no shortage of lines in our visual world. One person described line in the simplest form as “a moving dot.”
Graceful flowing lines of a flower
Mysterious boardwalk path in the woods
Symmetry in horizontal reflections of fall color
LINES AND DESIGN IN PHOTOGRAPHY
In photography and art, lines are used in many ways to lead the viewer’s eye, to create mood, tension and visual impact. Lines imply direction and movement. With this one design element, we can create stronger compositions with increased awareness of it in our scenes and subjects. We can use it to create or convey symmetry, asymmetry and balance as well. With line, we can create paths and define shapes.
Within photography we generally refer to seven types of lines in our images: vertical, horizontal, diagonal/oblique, leading, implied, converging and curved. These lines can suggest movement, direction, pattern, rhythm, distance, contrast, shape and more. We use our lines to lead, direct, show and tell the viewer what we want them to see and respond to. How we use line in our images varies according to our subject and what we want to communicate. Sometimes, our subject is line itself.
While line types may seem simple and obvious, they can express subjects and scenes differently. Vertical lines are ones that travel up and down. They can suggest growth and strength. They can also serve as a force to make us look up or stop, interrupting our typical left-to-right scan of an image. Horizontal lines run left to right, parallel to the ground or bottom of the frame. In the same way that a horizontal image does, horizontal lines can communicate restfulness or stability. In landscape photography, it is important that the horizon line is level, regardless of how much or little of it is included in the frame.
Rhythm in repetition of shadows in the sand
Rhythm in repetition of concrete bridge pilings
Rhythm in the bands of color and lines at sunrise
When we talk about diagonal lines, we should know that, technically, they connect at opposite corners of the frame. We often refer to lines that are not vertical or horizontal as diagonal. In reality, the angled lines in a frame that do not run from corner to corner are oblique. They are slanted, tilted or sloped at any other angle than right (90 degrees) between two perpendicular lines. Diagonal lines are oblique, but not all oblique lines are diagonals. Consider the consequences if the Leaning Tower of Pisa were leaning at a 45-degree angle … (What I have learned in reviewing many of my images is that I use oblique lines all the time, but have yet to find an image composed using diagonal lines.)
Leading lines are used most often in photography to lead the viewer’s eye through an image to a focal point. They add depth and dimension. They create paths in an image and are not necessarily straight or curved. You can also have several leading lines in an image. Any of the other line types discussed can be, and often are, used as leading lines.
Implied lines are typically made up of similar subjects, objects or shapes (trees, people, buildings, etc.) that create visual lines. Consider flower petals creating lines in a macro image, or clouds in a landscape, waves in the ocean. There are also implied lines in the movement or gaze of a subject that suggest line and direction. Think of a bird in flight or a person looking toward something not included in the frame as examples.
