Shooting an image should never be overly technical. Leading lines are a basic part of photography.

So what are leading lines, and how do they work? Leading lines are a key component of the composition of a shot. If you have a book, or if you’re by a computer, look at the next 10 images you come across. Without overthinking, observe how your eyes scan the image.

When you read a text you’ll normally read from left to right. But when you read an image, your eyes follow visual cues.

These visual aids help shape both the way we see and interpret an image. In order to direct a viewer to an end goal, it’s helpful to guide them there. This is where visual aids come in handy and ultimately make your shots more interesting.

Leading lines are part of your visual composition. When used correctly, they form a visual language that dictates your image and how the viewer will read and ultimately understand what you are trying to express.

A good leading line will take your eyes off from the mundane and lead them somewhere that will complete the narrative. Viewer engagement is encouraged via personal interpretation. The best photographers will encourage a dialogue between the photograph and the viewer. In order to create this type of impact you must, at the very least, have an understanding of and practical knowledge of leading lines.

A great leading line will take your eyes on a journey. The layers of the photograph need to form a visceral language. When you’re able to achieve a visual language, your photographs will naturally speak for themselves.

If you want to shoot photographs that will let your images speak, you need to build a visual language within your work! Take your viewer on a visual journey.

How do leading lines work? What should you look for? Know about common misconceptions, and more!

Using leading lines

Look for the lines and they will find you. Railways, roads, paths, poles, handrails, guttering, building edges. Lines are everywhere and anywhere that following them is easy enough. Finding an interesting subject to position at the end of your lines perhaps isn’t so easy!

Practise shooting in the middle of the road. See how the lines in the road guide your frame and eyes through the shot. It’s simple enough when you begin letting your eyes look for visual queues to follow.

Once you’ve mastered framing the lines, it’s time to move on and start trying to find a destination for your lines. When you start directing your viewer to an interesting subject via the leading lines you frame in your composition, your images start to take shape.

They will have a lovely movement to them. They also speak to the viewer through the image and through the photographer. The frame becomes a language in and of itself. This is when you start to make art.

What you’re trying to create

When using leading lines, you want to create movement in your images. Often used in landscape or street photography they can either direct attention or sort through a cluttered shot.

It’s also important to clarify that there are two types of leading lines: paths and lines. Paths lead to a horizon. These are often used in landscape photography. Its purpose is to direct the viewer through an image, but not really to any particular point of interest.

Whilst these shots look aesthetically pleasing, professional, and thought out, they aren’t always the most interesting shots. On the other hand, following lines lead to a point of interest. The main focus here is interest. Leading to something that, hopefully, will engage a viewer and of course make for a great photograph.

Also worth noting is that it doesn’t really matter what lines you follow! They can be vertical, horizontal, parallel, symmetrical, diagonal or even curved and never-ending on your shot. As long as they follow a linear structure and start from your camera, and end at a point of interest – they work.

Misconceptions and extra tips and tricks

A handy tip when shooting with leading lines is using a wide-angle lens. Wide-angle lens will emphasize with the scale and depth of your leading line(s) thus making the lines more obvious, exaggerated, and powerful within the composition of the image.

With that being said, don’t always go for the obvious line. Often, the first leading line you spot won’t be the most interesting or relevant. Look carefully for other visual stimulations that could form a shot and make for an ultimately better photograph.

Examining before you shoot can save you lots of time and make your overall shots better. Leading lines are a great tool for adding both depth and perspective in your images. Use the line to lead from the foreground toward the background. Create your own movement within the shot that’ll allow for the image to interact with different temporalities.

Finally, remember that your subject is always the most important of your shot. Don’t compromise your subject for leading lines as if there isn’t anything interesting in your frame – no matter how good the leading lines are, you’ll never get exciting images.

Advanced leading lines trick

Are you worried that your lines look flat or boring? The first time I ever saw an implied leading line was in the British Sitcom Peep Show. The shot in this instance followed the person who is talking and thus adopted their eye line.

In film, you have the ability to move the camera and thus manipulate the image as well as the ability to capture sound. In photography, we only have to manage the image in one frame and let it speak for itself.

But, we can create a similar effect with implied lines.

Do this by directing the viewer through a subject,  to another subject or object. Remember that the subject in focus at the end of the line is always the most important part of your shot. The easiest way to accomplish this kind of shot is to compose a shot of someone looking at another subject or object in the distance.

By getting really close to the initial subject you can direct the viewer through the subject’s gaze onto the subject or object of your gaze. In doing so you’ll be creating an image that is framed by the eye line.

This is just one way to create your own leading lines. I find this sort of shot to be particularly compelling and interesting especially in the over-saturated genre of street photography. As an example, train tracks are an obvious point of entry for gaining a leading line within a frame.

If you’re having trouble composing this shot yourself, try staging a mock shot with family or friends. You have to act fast when shooting street photography and often you need to get extremely close to your subject in order to create implied leading lines.

It’s often a process of trial and error so be patient. Prepare to spend some time searching out the right composition for your shot. If you’re still struggling to find implied leading lines, or you’re not sure you’re doing it correctly, check out the photography of Martin Parr.

Parr will often find a common or well-known subject or object to use as his destination. Pre-planning your composition like this, whereby you already have your point of visual interest ready, makes it easier to find subjects to get close to.

Simply put, if something interesting is happening, such as a juggler on a busy High Street, it’s to be expected that eventually someone will stop and watch. Be ready to strike when the time is right and you’ll soon have those implied leading lines!

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you’ll now understand the importance and relevance of leading lines as a key component of composition.

You’ll also hopefully start spotting how other photographers have used similar leading lines in their images to create compelling shots. Spend some time without your camera and bear in mind some of the points we’ve covered in this article.

You’ll start spotting the leading lines in no time and soon have a visual language of your own running through your latest series of photographs.

Images are from Pixabay.