Lens-Artists Challenge – Diagonals

Patti leads this week with an incredibly dynamic challenge. In her wonderful post, she mentions how, when she started photography, she didn’t look for the leading lines. I think we can all relate to that. Diagonals can also introduce a very important notion, the sense of perspective.

The first photo I’m sharing today is one of my all-time favourites. It was taken a few good years ago near the city of Aveiro, in Portugal. The long sandy dunes of this coastal, facing the Atlantic, beaches are picture perfect. The diagonals here help to emphasise the sense of continuity of the boardwalk.

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Even on photos focused on closer subjects, the sense of continuity can be achieved with diagonals filling the background. In this photo of a lantern at the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, the subject is as important as the background. This is a magical place that looks set to infinity.

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Taking photos wasn’t always like this search for a dynamic image. That sometimes came almost by necessity. When things are too long to fit the frame, adjustment is needed. We move the camera to get the whole of the subject and by doing so, those leading lines start to show. The next photo was taken at one of Glasgow’s oldest pubs: Sloans. Established in 1797, most of the interiors are much more recent, from the beginning of the 20^th Century. I love the turn of the century art, mainly Art Nouveau and these beautiful tiles are the closest I’m getting of the style around here. To get the staircase properly, in a reasonably narrow space was not easy, but this angle and composition captures the whole thing and also invites to go down and explore.

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On the next photo, the setting for the main building the Higashi Hongan-ji was delightful. It was the first Buddhist temple we visited and it’s still one of my favourites. I wasn’t looking for an idea of scale; my intention with this photo was a sense of group and the detailing of the different sections, the roofs and ceilings, the textures on the ground, the shape of the buildings, the trees in the distance.

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Modern architecture is all about the lines and therefore great for interesting perspectives. The V&A Museum in Dundee is a great example, both inside and out. With this one, I’m setting the mood for my last couple of photos. Let’s have a look at this photo: the diagonal lines are there, leading the eyes to the landing of the staircase. And then we also have the leading lines on the ceiling, accentuating the point where all of them converge, the landing. They are less diagonal but just as effective.

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Which brings us to the last photos on diagonal lines. These are examples much more dynamic than all the others and much simpler. The leading lines are closer to us and more extreme but even more than before, they lead your eyes to where I want them to go.

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A big thank you to Tina for hosting last weeks challenge about Home Sweet Home and how wonderful it was to see where we call home. Plenty of great ideas to travel in the future too!! This week Patti shows us a more technical challenge on photography composition and how important diagonal, leading lines, are in a good photo. Her post is an absolute treat, full of beautiful examples to inspire us all. Please remember to link to her original post if you’re joining us and to tag with Lens-Artists so we can easily find you.

Next week is Ann-Christine’s turn to lead and it promises to be remarkable.

Posted for Patti’s Lens-Artists Challenge

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