How Leading Lines can Improve your Photos

Leading lines are a powerful compositional tool in photography. They are employed in photographs to draw the viewer’s attention to the image’s main subject. Any feature in our environment, such as roads, bridges, trees, waves, structures, or anything else, can generate a line or lines that give a path for the viewer’s eye to follow into the frame. They also give the image depth, making it considerably more interesting. As a result, the viewers feel like they’re a part of the action. In this tutorial I’ll show you some examples of how I’ve used leading lines in my images.

The lavender field has been used as a leading line towards the lone tree in the photo above. The leading lines begin at the bottom of the frame and guide your eye to the tree, which is the main subject. The picture is completed with a lovely clouded sky and a stunning sunset.

In this photo an old, destroyed pier is used to provide the leading lines towards the sunset. The long exposure adds to the scene by giving a silky look to the sea and removing the destruction.

Here the wave creates a beautiful leading line leading to the main subject which is Vestrahorn mountain in Iceland.

Of course the lines don’t have to be straight. A curve or an s-curve can be used as well. In this photo the curve of the sea shore is used to lead you to Malarrif lighthouse.

While composing your leading lines always try different compositions by adjusting your height. Shooting close to the ground sometimes gives a very interesting perspective!

To summarize, leading lines can effectively draw attention to the subject of your photograph, whether that subject is a person, a sunset, or a beautiful mountain. Your photo now has additional depth and conveys a story, which aids in engagement. You’ll be able to locate leading lines and incorporate them into your images after a little practice!