Horizontal and Vertical Lines

Here i took 8 photographs of images that i thought had strong usage of horizontal and vertical lines. Below are the results of the images i took. Some lines are obvious but some are suggested and all have different effects on the composition of the images.

In this image there are a few horizontal lines. The obvious one is the coastline towards the back of the image but there is also a line suggested by the boats in two rows.


Here there is one strong vertical line. It divides the frame in 2 down the middle and has an overpowering sense giving the image an uneasy feel.


This image feels more balanced than the last with lines formed by the fork.


Here another vertical line in the form of a shadow. The composition here feels more balanced than the last vertical.

Here horizontal lines suggested by the horizon and shorelines.



Horizontal lines here are actually 'lines' of text. They work well to lead your eye to the in focus text.


Here there are many vertical lines formed by the tree trunks. The two main trunks balance the image by being on thirds.


Another strong vertical line here separates the frame in 2. This has the same effect as mentioned previously.

Multiple Points

Here i took a sequence of images showing how i build up a still life image by adding and taking away 'points' to come up with a good composition. As a subject i used a CD as a background so that it was plain but still interesting and i used a straw to create droplets of water on the disk and create an interesting composition.

Below is the blow-by-blow sequence of the decisions i made.

Image One. Two drops.

Added another 2 and former a diamond shape. Attempted to keep lines straight to balance the curved lines of the disk.


Removed the bottom droplet. The diamond didn't look random enough.


Added more droplets at the top to fill the blackness and put 2 in the bottom left to lead into the main grouping.


Removed one droplet from bottom left because having 2 distracted too much and added another large droplet at the top of the frame for more attention and one more central to keep things balanced.


This is my final image. I removed all drops that i felt didn't add to the image and added one at the top to extend what i saw as a line developing. Below is an image in which i have drawn in what i think are the lines in this image. 1 appears to radiate from the centre of the disk like the colours and the other lines form a triangle where the eye seems to settle.

Relationship Between Points

Here i took 2 photographs of images containing 2 points on a plain background. The subjects aren't the most interesting since finding this sort of composition is quite difficult and doesn't occur often.

This composition is a very unconventional one. It doesn't really sit well with any of the ideas of composition i've covered so far. You could argue that the ducks are on a line of third and that the 'wake' of the right hand bird follows this line but the idea of 90% of the frame being empty isn't something that would generally work. Either way i think this image is successful, since the closeness of the 2 subjects helps the eye resolve the image and settle.

Another boring image but one which displays an opposite choice in composition to the first. The two wooden knots sit on a third which is quite standard but neither one dominates the eye's attention. i ted to bounce from one to another and the image is never resolved and never has a single dominant subject. I think this image is unsuccessful, due the the lack of interest and the lack of anyrelationship between the points.

When shooting images with several points like this it is obviously necessary to consider the implications of where one is in relation to the other. If one dominates the frame then the chances are that the image will be resolved by the viewer, if not then the image may be quite confusing and lacking in a real conclusion.

Positioning a Point

For this excercise i had to capture three images that had a very plain background with a single point positioned on top as the subject. I had to place thise point within the frame to improve composition and choose why i use this specific position.


In this image the point is the birdhouse, or more specifically the hole in the front. The straight lines of the brickwork seemed to suggest that the house needed to be in the center so that the image felt balanced. The eye seems to read from left to right and settle on the subject.


In this amage of a daisy on a background of grass the subject was placed slightly higher in the frame and closer to the center. This keeps it from being to close to the edge and therefore not an obvious subject and allows the viewer to read from the left to right and settle on the flower.


This shot of a jar of nails is a little bit different. Because i chose to shoot it in a vertical format and because of the black line from the bottom left leading in i decided to place the 'point' in the top right corner. for me this composition works.

Althought these are very basic images and very boring subjects i think the use of composition to emphasise a 'point' is a useful tool for future work.

Cropping and extending.

For this i cropped 3 of my own images to see what effect this had on the composition.

This is the uncropped image. The subject seems 'drowned' in the centre.

In this cropped version the dogs draw the eye faster and keep the gaze longer.

In this church scene there is a lot to catch the eye and the composition is quite boring.

In this crop the candles angle draws the eye towards the font where it is held. This is a much improved image with the crop.

This graveyard scene has a lot of interest but too much free space at the top and bottom.

This crop solves that problem, still showing all the necessary features.

These are all examples of how a good crop can greatly improve an image. In all cases, the second image is more successful at drawing and keeping interest within the frame.

Vertical and Horizontal Frames

For this exercise i needed to take roughly 20 photos in both horizontal and vertical formats. I took the photos first in the vertical format and as you can see below, tended to pick subjects that would suit this framing. Subjects were tall and thin generally.
In the end i managed to get 2 versions of 13 of the photos i took and they can be seen below.

For this photo i find that the horizontal image works best due to not being too central and having a nicer DOF.


In this image i find the horizontal the better photo. The extra space for the feather on the left stops it feeling to squeezed in.

I prefer the horizontal version here too, for the same reason as the last image. The space balances the composition.


Here the vertical is better because the tower dominates the frame more and adds to the 'looming' feel.

I prefer the vertical again here, it cuts out anything in the shot that isn't needed.


The free space in the horizontal image here seems to balance the composition nicely.


Because of the height of the subject, vertical works better here.

I prefer vertical here, purely because it cuts out the boring edges and includes the tree branch in the top right.

I prefer the horizontal version. It makes the tower less prominant and creates more of an urban 'Landscape'.


I think this is another example of a tall subject suiting a vertical frame.

I didn't like these shots, but if i had to chose, i prefer the second. It feels more natural.

Again, horizontal feels less hemmed in.

In this final set i prefer vertical, the door fits nicely in the frame and verticals aren't converging.

I think more than anything, this excercise showed me that simply rotating the camera can give an image a completely different effect, convey a different idea about the subject and overall, change the meaning of an image.