This week we'll be following one of the strongest composition elements in photography- Leading Lines.
A line is a point in motion with only one dimension- length. Most photographers will rely on strong “leading lines” in their composition because they typically draw the viewer into and across the plane of the picture in one solid direction. These lines can run diagonally, horizontally and vertically; the most typical beginning at the center of the base of the picture and heading directly to a vanishing point on the horizon. The longer the length of the line, the greater visual impact and importance it will have. Photographers tend to forget that leading lines are present in every picture- even when they’re not obvious. When a line is not as obvious it is called an “implied line”. These hidden lines are not easy to spot but your eyes will sense them and bring you to the subject. Two other more apparent and organic lines, called contour lines, form a “C” or “S” and are just as recognizable as their straight counterparts. These lines are a more leisurely way to bring your viewer into the photo as the weave their way throughout the picture.
(From Seeing in Black and White: An Amateur Photographer’s Thoughts on the Art of Monochrome. AHL c.2018)
This week make the lines of your photo the star of the show. Thick or thin, evenly spaced or staggered and every option in between will act as an undercurrent in your photo that pulls the viewer to your subject. Strong lines will evoke a strong response; subtle or implied lines, a less dramatic one. But they need not be the “subject”. For example, you may take a picture of your favorite place to walk. That path that wanders through the park is your “leading line”. Be creative in how you put lines into your picture- they don’t have to be obvious. Or put them up front and center- it’s all up to you and how you want to take the shot.
Tag your photos flashofred2019 and feel free to post your favorite photo of the previous week in the discussion thread below. Or display that flash of red you posted on the 14th one more time. It was fun to see so many of them appear on the Popular Page!
And one last item to note- the monthly theme run by Ross Scrivna @scrivna is featuring black and white this month. The tag is theme-blackwhite. Why not tag your shots for both?
I couldn't wait for the 14th to post this- oh yes, it's true, there might have been a reward after the shoot too- that might have helped make this my favorite shot of the week.
Thank you, Anne! Flash of red is my favorite challenge and you have done a great job organizing and make it even more challenging this year. Leading Lines has always been a challenge for me, so I am looking forward to being extra challenged next week! (Also, how many times did I use the word “challenge”? Lol)
@homeschoolmom It's listed under the weekly theme now- which has been discontinued and is now on a monthly format if I understand what I've been told correctly.
@cristinaledesma33 I am glad you are enjoying the challenge Cristina- 5 if you count your final question- 6 if we count my response! (o;
Mine isn’t exactly selective coloring although the effect is similar. I took a photo of my knee with my long cardigan over it and dark beyond, converted to black and white, then took a bouquet of red Lillies in the grass and duplicated the shot and turned one to B&W and then uploaded all three to pic collage and used the cardigan as a background then sized it down so a red background showed as a border. I took the two flower shots and cut them out, good old trace and cut with your finger is never very exact. Anyway, layered the whole black and white cut out on the cardigan shot and the half red flower on top of that.
@30pics4jackiesdiamond You are doing just fine with your single subject flower Jackie- don't sell yourself short! Brilliant flash!
@pandorasecho Dixie- your processing of this shot is very impressive!! It's definitely selective coloring the way it turned out- very eye catching because it's creatively different from what we usually see in this effect.
@emrob Love this shot Amanda- a very special splash of red!
@grammyn It's really a joy- I am getting a lot of positive feed back from folks who say they are learning so much. That just makes me so happy!
I'm still having fun with the 'same object for 7 days' and coming up with creative ways to shoot my apple. I really like how my flash of red shot turned out. Thanks Ann for hosting this month once again. :)
thanks for this wonderful challenge month!
I couldn't believe this morning when 3 koalas kicked up some antics (started in the dark at 5am) that gave me over 100 photos during a couple of hours, and so many leading lines images I've had to sit and sift through them all! So I've got a week of images to tell an unfolding story. But here is my Feb 14 FoR.
Thank you Ann. Your comments and suggestions were helpful. I appreciate the time you took doing hosting this challenge. I wish I had had more time to really study and participate in a concentrated manner this year. So much to do, and so little time.
@randystreat You're welcome Kathy! You can always go back and read the information later. But as long as you enjoyed the challenge and got something out of it, then it was worth it!
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I couldn't wait for the 14th to post this- oh yes, it's true, there might have been a reward after the shoot too- that might have helped make this my favorite shot of the week.
@cristinaledesma33 I am glad you are enjoying the challenge Cristina- 5 if you count your final question- 6 if we count my response! (o;
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You're half-way through your black and white month! Keep up the good work!!
My flashy amarillys ( note to self, plants not ideal subject for a week of being a subject!)
@pandorasecho Dixie- your processing of this shot is very impressive!! It's definitely selective coloring the way it turned out- very eye catching because it's creatively different from what we usually see in this effect.
@emrob Love this shot Amanda- a very special splash of red!
@grammyn It's really a joy- I am getting a lot of positive feed back from folks who say they are learning so much. That just makes me so happy!
@novab How creative- I don't think I could carve an apple as pretty as that! I'm glad you're enjoying it Nova!
@merrelyn Good for you Merrelyn! It's always fun to take on a challenge and get something out of it. Cute flash of red shot!
@la_photographic That wasn't planned but I'm glad it worked out that way!
I couldn't believe this morning when 3 koalas kicked up some antics (started in the dark at 5am) that gave me over 100 photos during a couple of hours, and so many leading lines images I've had to sit and sift through them all! So I've got a week of images to tell an unfolding story. But here is my Feb 14 FoR.
@yorkshirekiwi Beautiful image Carole- the red vase is a stand out and I like how you balanced its shape with the table leg.