Golden Linings

One important aspect that can be taken into consideration in photography is the use of lines. They can have various effects on the picture and the viewer as well: either by leading the eyes of the viewer or by creating patterns and shapes.

 In the first three pictures the lines help draw the attention towards the theme that the photographer sets out. This line can have a perspective effect leading outside or towards the main theme. Another way is if the line breaks an expected pattern or horizontal scheme, like on the third picture.

The following pictures are similar in concept since both of them have the main line leading the attention outside. The main differences are in the perspective and layout. In the first picture the depth of field is bigger, as the line of the stream leads up to the main theme, the bridge. For this I needed to make the foreground as sharp as the background with a small aperture. In the second picture I have used as wide an aperture as possible and put the focus point on the puddle, so that both the foreground and the background get blurred.

Another advantage of noticing lines is in the rewarding nature of minimalist pictures. My favourite topic in this area is the various kinds of windows and doors, of which we have plenty in my village. Also in some situations there is another detail that helps the nice parallel effect, like a rooftop or part of the fence. I have put the last picture here because the otherwise straight line of the windows and the wall is refracted by the broken pieces and the crumbled wall.

One really important detail that I had to pay attention when taking these kinds of photographs was to hold the camera perfectly horizontal. Of course a little slant can be adjusted in any post-processing program, but in this case we might lose important elements of the picture.

You can find some great minimalist (and not only) photographs by Steve Johnson here.