Monday, July 1, 2019

Basic Composition Elements - Leading Lines, Patterns, and Repetition

Basic Composition Elements - Leading Lines, Patterns, and Repetition


Below are some classic examples of photographs containing Leading Lines, Patterns and Repetition:

In the photograph below by Andre Kertesz (1894-1985), the line of the fork and its shadow lead us in a diagonal from one corner of the print to the opposite corner and to the lightest portion of the print.




In the photograph below, Snake River (1942), by Ansel Adams (1902-1984), the winding river also leads us from one corner of the print to the opposite diagonal corner, into the mountains, and further into the sunlit clouds.




In the photograph by Berenice Abbott (1898-1991), Newsstand, East 32nd Street and Third Avenue, Manhattan November 19, 1935, the rows of magazines lead us to the solitary customer.




The photograph below by Eugene Atget (1857-1927), Château de Saint-Cloud, has a sidewalk as well as two rows of trees to lead us further into the photograph.




In Henri Cartier-Bresson's (1908-2004) portrait of Children on a Spiral Staircase, 1965, (below), the spiral staircase leads us from one child to the next and deeper into the photograph.




Henri Cartier-Bresson also created the image (below), "Aquila degli, Abruzzi, Italy", 1951, which has multiple leading lines to direct the viewer around the photograph. The railing and the steps in the lower right hand corner lead the eye to the woman in the lower left hand foreground. Likewise, that woman starts an implied line of people that leads the eye too the church door. The fences lead the eye to the group of people in the background who form an implied line that leads us further into the photograph. There are also other leading lines that direct the viewer's eye around to various points in the photograph.




In my image of the Brooklyn Bridge (below), there are dozens of leading lines that direct the viewer deeper into the image.




"Street Sweeper, Dallas, TX - 2008" (below) has leading lines elements in the row of benches as well as the sidewalk, curb, and street.




In my photograph of the Great Wall of China - © 2003 (below) the wall winds and leads the viewer deeper into the image.




In this photograph from my series, "The Atlantic" (below), the repetition and pattern of the row of beach chairs and umbrellas leads the viewer down the beach.





In the photograph below, which features the repetition of the silos, "Grains elevators, Texas," 2009, I also added a diagonal leading by the framing of the image which adds visual tension.



The repetition of the candles along the wall of this hallway of a restaurant on South Beach creates an implied leading line to accompany the leading lines of the wainscoting, "Interior hallway, Miami Beach, FL," 2011




The glare on the repetitive pattern of "Bar glasses, Miami Beach, FL," 2011, helps to accent the leading lines in the photograph below.








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