Lines - Your Best Friend or Your Worse Nightmare

In music; if you had to start at the very beginning, you would start with “Doe, Ray, Me” or so the song goes. In art it would be “Line, Texture, and Light.” Keep in mind that if you want to be a good photographer, you also want to be a good Artist. Anybody can go out and buy a cheap camera, and push the button. That does not make them a great photographer. But the great ones like: Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, and Edward Weston all had one thing in common. These men and women knew art and the elements of design.

Lines can be seen or not seen. They can be solid objects or merely implied. Lines can be straight, curved, or jagged. They can lead your eyes into your photograph, or distract you and force you to look elsewhere. A line may be continuous and unbroken; or it may consist of isolated points that are visually connected by the human eye on some deep subconscious level. In short, they can be your best friend or your worse nightmare.

Vertical Lines represent vitality and strength.

Horizontal Lines represent tranquility and being at peace.

Straight Lines represent tenseness and precision. These lines are often used to make a

positive statement.

Slightly Curved lines are loose and flexible. These lines are often thought of as sexy.

Vigorously Curved lines change direction more rapidly. These types of lines are considered more active and forceful.

The Arc of a Circle is very consistent in change of direction. These lines used carefully can demand attention, however . . . used casually it can also be the most boring.

Diagonal Lines lead the eyes. If you are aware of that fact, it can be good, if you are not,

it could be a disaster for your image. They can lead towards your subject or away from it.

The Jagged Line with its sudden, abrupt change of direction suggests energy, activity,

or conflict. If you want an emotional response, be aware of these lines.

So who cares about all these different types of lines? You should, if you want your work to look its best. If you shoot a tall powerful waterfall; do you hold your camera in a vertical position or a horizontal one? If you want to shoot a calm peaceful lake with a mountain reflecting off the surface, which direction should you shoot then? When your picture says one thing, and you shoot in the opposite direction, you've lost all credibility as a great photographer. Even if the scene is beautiful, if the format doesn't fit the image, you just got lucky.

When I was in High School, I took pictures of everything. I won several awards. Everybody knew me as a photographer and life was good. When I went to college, a teacher reviewed my portfolio. This man studied every picture, then calmly said,

“Do you know what you’re problem is?”

A little nervous I replied, “No. What’s my problem?”

“Your problem is . . . you were told you were good.” He answered.

I was only 18, so in a cocky voice I asked, “And why is that a problem?”

He grinned like he expected my reaction.

“You’ve been told you were good, by people who have no idea what good really is.

Now, you're going to be good, according to those who know what good really is.”

To say that day was a changing point in my life, would be a major understatement. It was like this gigantic light bulb suddenly turned on and lit my way for how I would view things for the rest of my life. Being aware of lines, both seen and unseen is one of the first steps in becoming great. Don’t just rely on plain luck. When you know what good is and why it is good, you can produce good over and over again. Don’t just shoot what your friends and family like. If you want to become the best, study the best. Find out what you like, and then find out WHY you like it.