Choose how to frame lines

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Lines are important in a photo. When composing, choose how the line runs through your image. You have control over that. I show how you can change the direction of a tree trunk.

When photographing a landscape, you have a lot of control over how things appear in the frame. It all depends on where you stand. I used a tree trunk as an example. You can manipulate the line formed by the trunk.

In many cases, I see a tree trunk like this photographed straight on. The idea is that this adds depth to the photo. But it actually does the opposite. It becomes a vertical line in the photo.

This also often happens with jetties in the water, or with a road, path or ditch. When it forms a vertical line in the frame, this often does not benefit the composition.

By moving to the left or right, you change the vertical line into a diagonal. Diagonals are very strong compositional elements. This creates a sense of depth more readily than a vertical line.

This does not mean that you should never have a vertical line in the frame. It is worth keeping the effect of the line's direction in mind. Choose the line that works best for your composition.

So you have a lot of influence over how lines appear in the frame. Make use of that.

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