Leading lines
Trails, streams, branches, and more
The trail takes a viewer on a hike into the mountains of Colorado.
A leading line earns its name by leading a viewer’s eye through the photo in a specific direction. In this first image, the obvious leading line is the trail. Anybody looking at this photo will immediately understand that the trail leads deeper into the mountains. However, the trail is not the only leading line. The slope downward from the right side of the frame also leads a viewer toward the same mountain as the trail. Put simply, that’s the definition of using “the lay of the land.” The contrast in lighting makes it much more obvious. Because the sun is beginning to set, the mountains on the right side of the frame are shaded pretty heavily. As your skills in the outdoors grow, you’ll be able to use maps to plan complicated shots in advance.
The ridge line in the first photo brings your eye from the mountain down to the foreground, which gives the viewer the feeling of hiking deeper into the mountains. The ridge extends for miles, but at this point the slope was perfect for creating a sense of direction in the photo - a line that leads your eyes through the image. The next picture uses a rainbow to lead the eye toward cactus. The trail on the left side of the frame takes you ahead into the desert, where there is nothing to see except a double rainbow, which leads your eyes back to the cactus again. Regardless of what you see first, your eyes will always be led back to the cactus. The last image uses an unpaved road to lead the eye to the small patch of light with a hiker in it. The trees mostly provide a contrasting texture to make the dead space interesting, but the vertical lines of the trunks lead your eye back to the road, which brings you right back to the hiker.
If you look closely at the photos, you’ll notice that they all have a subject to emphasize the sense of scale, incorporate the rule of thirds and halves, and use mixed lighting to downplay the less interesting elements and create some drama in the landscape. Again, there are only a few simple rules in landscape photography.
