Exercise: Horizontal and Vertical Lines

Lines in photography are usually the edge of things. Lines can appear with the use of contrast, the edge of something bright against a dark background or vice versa, can show lines.

For this project, I am to look at the basic types of lines. The simplest are straight lines and there are 3 other types of lines, Vertical, Horizontal and Diagonal. Horizontal and Vertical lines tend to induce feelings of stability in an image, whereas diagonals tend to create a sense of motion and tension. In addition, there are also curved lines. These also give a sense of motion.

Exercise: Horizontal and Vertical Lines.

For this exercise, you were asked to go out and look for specific examples of horizontal and vertical lines. The aim is to find some of the different ways in which vertical and horizontal lines appear to the eye and the camera.

You were asked to produce 4 examples of each, but avoid repeating the way in which the lines appear.

I began by noting down some examples for each set

Horizontal Lines:

• Horizon line
• A row of objects
• Piano Keys
• Pavements
• Shelving
• Newspapers
• Steps

Vertical Lines:

• Walls
• Trees
• Standing Human Figure
• Buildings
• Doors
• Fencing
• Street Lamps

Photographer Research:

After thinking of some examples for each, I then decided to research into some photographers who photograph horizontal and/or vertical lines in their work.

The first photographer I came across was a man called Craig Ferguson. He is a professional photographer from Taipei, Taiwan who specializes in travel photography, cultural photography and environmental photography. I began looking through his work, and found that he had written a few articles about lines. One being called ‘Leading Lines’. This short article talks about how lines are “very useful compositional techniques that can draw the viewer’s eye through the photograph”

http://www.craigfergusonimages.com/2010/01/leading-lines-daily-phototip-7/

He quotes: ” Vertical lines can often conjure up a feeling of power and dominance, Horizontal lines may suggest peacefulness and a sense of calm, Diagonal lines transmit a sense of action and depth, whilst curved lines give a feeling of sensuality and balance”

I looked at his line photography

Horizontal Lines:

The road markings, the kerb, the wall all demonstrate use of horizontal lines. Beitou, Taiwan.

He writes that: The most common examples of horizontal lines in photography is that formed by the horizon. It serves as a dividing point in the image, and where you place this dividing point is of critical importance. He talks about how the horizon line should not be placed directly in the middle of the frame, but either in the lower or upper third. Placing a horizontal line, such as a horizon line, lower in the frame, makes it look more natural. Placing it in the upper third of the frame, is useful when there is something in the foreground that calls for the viewer’s attention.

His advice of placing the horizontal line is very useful. I will keep it in mind when taking my horizontal photographs. I never really thought about the placement until now, and how if I placed it too much towards the top of the frame, or too low towards the bottom, it could cause a different effect to the image. I will also remember to not place the horizontal line directly in the middle of the frame.

Vertical Lines: 

The tree trunks are a good example of the use of vertical lines. Orang-utan rehab center, Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia

He writes: As keeping with the horizon, You must pay attention to the verticals. Try to line them up with the edges of the frame and not tilt them too much. Also remember the rule of thirds. You don’t want to place a single vertical straight through the center of the frame, effectively cutting the photo in half. Vertical lines imply movement and speed. While it’s normal to use a vertical or portrait orientation when shooting vertical lines, if there are enough verticals in the frame, a horizontal (landscape) orientation can often be aesthetically pleasing. Think of a series of fence posts or people standing. The verticals need to be strong for this to work though.

After reading his advice on placement of vertical lines, I now understand that you need to keep the same rules as with horizontal lines. To not cut the image in half if there is only one vertical line, but to place it off centre. However, when reading this project, It never crossed my mind that I could change the orientation of the image. Your natural instinct tells you to hold the camera whatever way the lines flow. Naturally you would photograph the horizon line horizontally, however, photographing it vertically could have an interesting effect. This is something I will be doing with both the vertical and horizontal lines. As we are advised to photograph 4 of both sets, I will most likely photograph 2 horizontal and 2 vertical for each set. So for vertical, I will photograph vertical lines, 2 photographs vertical and 2 horizontal. It will be interesting to see how they turn out.

I will now begin the line exercise.:

I began with the Vertical Lines:

Vertical Lines:

First Photograph:

  When I thought about vertical lines, I thought about my guitar. The strings are strung very long and are on a long wooden neck. The strings and the neck of the guitar could be either horizontal or vertical depending on how you hold it. I decided to photograph it standing up on its stand. I focused on making the strings lead you through the photograph. Therefore I stood above the guitar and photographed it downwards. This extended the length of the vertical lines. I also made sure I photographed it vertically in the frame and not horizontally. I wanted to give the image as much length as possible. I remember that the photographer, Craig Ferguson, I researched previously, advised people not to photograph a vertical line in the centre of the frame, however, as there are more than one string, I decided to centralise the neck of the guitar  in order to make it more prominent in the frame.

Second Photograph:

I saw this bridge in my local railway station. Instead of photographing a vertical building, this bridge structure is more interesting. It contains multiple vertical lines pointing towards the top of the frame. I photographed this bridge vertically, whilst stood at a distance from it. I wanted the bridge to appear more taller, therefore, photographing it from a distance and lower than the bridge allowed me to show the bridge’s height.

Third Photograph:

Fencing is perfect for showing vertical lines. I decided to photograph this fence horizontally. My reason behind this is because if I had photographed it vertically, I would have captured the houses behind the fence in the background. It would have taken the emphasis off of the vertical lines. Photographing it horizontally allowed me to fit the fencing into the whole frame, giving it more emphasis on the vertical lines.

Fourth Photograph:

I took this photograph whilst on holiday in Tenerife last year. However, I realised it would be perfect for showing vertical lines. The tall palm trees were placed along the edge of the beach. They were all different heights. I took the photograph without thinking about vertical lines. I took it because I liked the beautiful sunset and the dark trees against the light peering through the clouds. However, when this project came up, I realised that this photograph would work well in showing vertical lines. especially as the palm trees are all different heights. I also realised that I photographed the trees vertically without thinking, spur of the moment. Thankfully the photograph came out just right, and works well for this project.

Fifth Photograph:

  A local church seemed perfect for the vertical project. Churches are usually really tall. This local church was extremely tall. I decided to stand in the corner of the graveyard and photographed the church. I wanted to fit all of it into the frame. Because it was so tall, I had to tilt the camera as it was. In order for me to fit everything in, and keep the height of the building, I had to photograph it vertically.

Horizontal Lines:

First Photograph:

When I thought of horizontal lines, I thought of steps. For this photograph, I stood right at the bottom of the steps. I photographed these steps horizontally because I wanted to emphasise the width of the steps. If I had photographed the steps vertically, it wouldn’t have had the same effect as the steps go upwards vertically. Your eyes would have been drawn more upwards vertically than following the horizontal lines of the steps.

Second Photograph:

I recently took a short weekend break to a friend’s house in Weston Super Mare. Her view from her house is amazing as she over looks the beach. For the horizontal lines project, the horizon line on the beach would work well. I remembered what the photographer, Craig Ferguson had said previously. He advised people not to ‘photograph a horizon line in the centre of the frame, but either in the lower or upper third of the frame. Placing it lower in the frame, makes it appear more natural’. Therefore, I placed the horizon line in the lower part of the frame. I decided to keep some foreground in the frame, as like Ferguson quoted ‘It calls for the viewer’s attention’. The tide had just gone out. It had left puddles and horizontal lines in the mud. I wanted to keep this in as it does draw the viewers attention into the horizon line more. The contrast between the dark mud and the light cloudy sky, also helps define the horizon line. I photographed this horizontally as I wanted to keep the length and width of the lines. If I had photographed it vertically, it would have cut off too much length and would have shown more sky than foreground.

Third Photograph:

Whilst at the graveyard, I noticed a bench sat by a wall. It’s not the first thing I would have thought of for horizontal lines, however, this bench showed the wooden slats. I photographed the bench horizontally as I wanted to show the width of the horizontal lines. It does however show vertical lines on the back of the bench. The width of the bench however emphasises the horizontal lines and stretches them out more, and takes your focus off of the vertical lines.

Fourth Photograph:

On a walk, I came across these interesting horizontal lines, which I then realised were roots from a large tree. They were sticking up  through the ground. I found this really interesting as the roots looked like steps. I photographed them vertically because the roots weren’t that long in length. If I had photographed them horizontally, it wouldn’t have emphasised the horizontal lines that well. There would have been too much green plants. I photographed it vertically, because I wanted to fit the roots in the frame, and show how they created different horizontal lines, because they aren’t all straight.

Overall Opinion:

I really enjoyed this project. I enjoyed having to go out and look for different examples of horizontal and vertical lines. It’s not everyday that you stop and look at something and notice that its horizontal or vertical, as your brain automatically tells you its one or the other without thinking about it. When I had to go and find objects or buildings that were a certain line, It made me think more about how we have lines all around us everyday, however, they can be seen diferently depending on how we are standing, or how the lines are placed. I also learnt which would be  the best way to photograph these certain lines. The photographer Craig Ferguson, whom I researched, helped put into perspective the certain ways that horizontal lines and vertical lines should be placed in your frame. Having your vertical line situated in the centre of the frame can divide your image and make it less appealing, the same with a horizontal line. Also taking into consideration the notes in the OCA book, advising you to challenge the lines. Photograph something horizontal, vertically and see how it makes the image more interesting. Theses are definitely notes which I will remember for the next time I go and photograph things. You can see that with simple changes such as the angle or way you place that ‘line’ in your frame, can change the entire image.