Horizontal and vertical lines

For this project, I will be looking at lines and how they affect the nature of an image, starting with horizontal and vertical lines.

The horizontal lines in this shot work with the central position to create quite a static and heavy image. I think this fits well with the theme of the photo, being someone’s final resting place.

 

The eye is initially drawn to the horizontal lines of the bench slats in this image.  The lines of the branches then lead the eye  towards the curved arm, creating movement in an otherwise, very static shot.

I think the horizontal bars on this gate work well to reflect the written message. On seeing this image, I feel compelled to stop before noticing the rolling hill behind.  

 

Although the horizontal lines aren’t the most prominent thing in this photo, I feel that they definitely have a purpose. Without the shadows, the crowd would weigh down the left side of the shot, leaving the lone girl floating around on the other side. The shadows expand horizontally and give weight to the other side, giving the image needed stability.

 

 

Of my four vertical photos, I feel that this is the most stable being mostly made up of both horizontal and vertical lines. The few vertical lines in the shot create some movement as they lead the eye in towards the view of the sea.

In this shot of our holiday cottage, the vertical lines seem to be the most prominent, yet the sloping hand rails really lead the eye forwards into the garden.

 

By cropping the photo to exclude the hand rails, I have eliminated some of the movement, creating a much more static image. Rather than leading the eye to the centre, the rails now frame the image. This makes it much easier to spot my son to the right of the photo as we are no longer having to fight against the leading lines.

 

The pointed windows in this shot help the vertical lines to lead the eye upwards. Although the windows are directly above each other, the top windows being wider gives the impression that the image is wider at the top than at the bottom.

 

Although the vertical lines in this shot are quite prominent in leading the eye upwards, I feel that a lot the movement is created by the jagged skyline. I am starting to think that implied lines are often more leading than definite lines.