All the Right Angles
Posted on
14 June 2021
in Street
Assignment S24
Strong lines are everywhere we look in the built environment. Whether it is horizontals, verticals, diagonals, zigzags, or curves, lines can help you create images with a strong graphic element, often acting as leading lines to draw the viewer’s eye toward a main point of interest, such as a person.
In this assignment, look for lines that you can use in your compositions, such as walls, staircases, rows of street lights (and other street furniture), bridges, kerbs, and
road markings, and produce a series of 1 2 images where these lines are an obvious feature. For inspiration, look at the work of legendary street photography Fan Ho, who used lines to beautiful effect in his monochromatic urban images.
View the images
Technique
- If your image contains horizontal and/or vertical lines, make them as straight as possible; if this isn’t possible to achieve in camera they can usually be corrected during post-production.
- Diagonals tend to work best when positioned at 45 degrees.
- Lines can be visually quite brutal; you can add a pleasing “softness” with a contrasting curve or irregular shape.
Field Notes
- If possible, set your camera’s viewfinder or LCD screen to show a grid overlay. This will help you get the important lines straight.