Add Drama to Photos Using Leading Lines

The use of leading lines is one of the techniques in photography to create interesting compositions. Leading lines, which refer to those natural lines created in the space of a photograph, are very powerful in drawing the viewer’s attention by creating a visual narrative in the composition. Leading lines could be intentional or unintentional and can be used to draw the eye of the viewers to a focal point in the shot that you would like to highlight.

Leading lines are mostly found in landscape and architectural photographs such as railways, roads and paths, or  in shots of buildings and skyscrapers. And, among the leading lines used in photography, the diagonal is the most dynamic. Diagonal lines can create a sense of depth and a stronger impression of movement in an otherwise flat medium like photographs.

TIP: Diagonals lines can be incorporated in your photographs by simply tilting your camera. Most diagonals are just slanted views of horizontals and verticals.

For your inspiration, we looked around for some fabulous photographs that made use of leading lines to create dramatic and interesting compositions. The photos below are just low-resolution version of the original pictures and were posted for illustration purposes. Please visit the source to know more details about each of them and view them in large and high-resolution format. Link is provided below each preview image. I hope these pictures will inspire you as well. Happy shooting!

If you like this post, then please also checkout our related posts on Photography:

• Photo Reflections in Photography
• Bridge Photographs
• Panoramic Photography
• Wide Angle Photographs
• Long Exposure Photography

01-Leading Lines & Symmetry by Kevin Harber
Dupont Circle Metro Station in Washington, DC.

02- Tunnel Vision by Daniel Dillman
One side of a small town catholic church in central Minnesota. The architecture provided nice leading lines.

03-Foggy Brae by Brian Smith
Fog moving down through the Hillfoots.

04-Plough Lines by Jamie Taylor

05-The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center by Bob Simmons

06-Derwent reservoir water tower by Bill Richards

07-Beautiful Landscape by Meredith Farmer

08-Lead the Way by Cornelius Bartke

09-Foggy Sunrise At The Golden Gate Bridge – Day 3 by Maxxsmart
Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands – Marin County, California

10-The Shell by visionandimagination.com
This image was taken on the western side of Fraser Island – the largest Sandpit in the World.

11-Seattle Space Station Jason Hoover
“Houston, we have lift off!”

12-Bribie Island, Queensland by Matthew Fry

13-St Clair Beach, New Zealand by Matthew Fry

14-Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial by Rob Hogeslag

15-Seconds Of Frozen Time by Martin Gommel

16- Sunrise on the Boardwalk by Arturo Donate

SIMILAR POSTS:

• 25 Marvelous Photographs of Bridges
• 35 Examples of Panoramic Photography
• 30 Extremely Wide-Angle Photographs