DYNAMIC DIAGONALS

Today, I'm going to cover a basic photographic rule of composition that is often overlooked. That is the rule of diagonals. Diagonal elements in your composition will tend to impart a dynamic quality to your images. Diagonals in landscapes, for instance, will lead your eye through the scene. Horizontal and vertical elements usually lack this quality. I took a photo of railroad tracks several years ago in which the tracks led the eye from the lower left corner of the image to the upper right corner. To add to the feeling of depth, I composed the photo so that the tracks almost met at a vanishing point in the distance. As you view the image, you have the feeling that you could literally walk through the photograph and arrive at the vanishing point. Whether it be a road, a stream or the shoreline of a beach scene, a strong diagonal element will add punch to your image.