Leading Lines: Pull the Viewer's Eye Into Your Photo

Almost any elongated element qualifies: a road, a fence, a shoreline, a stream, a row of lamp posts, the rail of a staircase, the seam between two surfaces, a shadow cast across the ground, or the direction a person is pointing. Their job is simply to give the eye a route.

What makes one line better than another is usually where it starts. A line entering from a corner or from the lower edge feels like an invitation; a line that appears in the middle of the frame with no visible origin feels arbitrary, and the eye does not follow it as readily.

Look for lines that are already pointing at your subject before you compose, rather than trying to force a line into a scene that does not have one. The second approach produces the contorted, uncomfortable compositions that give leading lines a bad name.

Straight lines feel fast, graphic and modern; curves feel slower, softer and more romantic. Diagonal lines carry more energy than horizontals, which is why a road shot from a low angle is more dynamic than the same road shot from eye level.

Converging lines, such as two rails or two walls meeting at a vanishing point, are especially strong because they create depth and give the eye a clear destination. They also imply movement into the frame, which is why they work so well in street and architectural photography.

Diagonal lines that run from one corner towards the opposite one divide the frame into two triangles and add tension. Use them when you want energy; use a horizontal line when you want calm, and choose deliberately rather than by accident.

The same line can be a curve, a diagonal or a flat band depending on where the camera is. Your position decides the shape of the line, so crouch, climb or step to the side until the line points where you want it to point.

Lower angles exaggerate diagonals and depth, because they bring the near end of the line closer to the lens and make it appear to sweep more steeply. A standing position tends to flatten the same line into a horizontal band that separates the frame instead of connecting it.

Move in small steps and watch the line as you go, rather than composing at the first position you happen to occupy. Two paces sideways often changes a line from one that exits the frame to one that leads into it.

The classic mistake is a leading line that leads nowhere: it sweeps in beautifully and then dumps the eye into an empty corner. Make sure the line terminates on something worth reaching — a figure, a lit doorway, a peak, a boat.

Watch for lines that cut the frame in half or exit the side, which pull attention out of the picture instead of into it. Lines that point at bright, cluttered or competing areas will steal attention from your subject, so either reposition or wait for a cleaner moment.

When the scene contains several competing lines, pick one as the main route and treat the rest as texture. Two strong lines heading in different directions leave the eye oscillating, and the picture reads as busy rather than dynamic.

Lines do not have to be physical. A glance, a row of similar shapes, or a series of repeated objects forms an implied line that works just as well, especially in portraits and street photography. A subject looking to one side creates a line of attention that continues out of frame, and the space you leave there is part of the composition.

Combine a leading line with the rule of thirds by placing your subject at the point where the line ends, so the two devices reinforce each other rather than competing. Use a slightly lower angle to exaggerate depth, and check the frame edges for anything the line runs into by accident.

Once you notice leading lines, you will start building compositions around them instead of hunting for them afterwards, and you will also start noticing how often a good photograph is simply a line that arrives somewhere interesting.