Kat Eye Studio

  • Home
  • Portfolio
  • Books
    • Art with an iPhone
    • Digital Photography for Beginners
  • Workshops
    • Mobile Photography Workshop Series
    • iPhone Art Workshop
    • Out of the Box Composition Workshop
    • Photography & Creativity Talks
  • Free Resources
    • Mobile Tutorials
    • Exploring with a Camera
    • Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap
  • Blog
  • About
    • Artist Statement
    • Background & Experience
    • Contact

November 4, 2011 by Kat

Exploring with a Camera: Opposing Lines

Watch your Steps, Chicago, Illinois

Watch your Steps

Lately I’ve been noticing lines in my photographs. Not just any lines, but lines that run in opposition to each other. In Today’s Exploring with a Camera, we are going to explore Opposing Lines. You can join in the exploration over the next two weeks, by adding your images to the link tool at the end of this post.

Lines are a fantastic tool to move the viewer’s eye through a photograph. When there is a dominant line, the eye wants to follow it through. We can use this to great effect in our compositions, drawing the eye to a specific point or subject by setting up leading lines. I’ve touched on this topic before, in Exploring with a Camera: Linear Perspective.

What happens when there is more than one line? If the lines converge to a point, there is a flow to the photograph, leading the viewer’s eye to the convergence point. If the lines are in opposition, however, there is a dynamic tension that is set up in the image. Your eye moves from one place, only to move back in the other direction. This tension is fascinating to me, and is what I’ve been exploring with Opposing Lines in my photographs.


The dynamic of opposing lines in an image first caught my eye with this image, from Old Colorado City, Colorado. The perspective in the mural leads you in one direction, from left to right in the photograph. The direction of the bricks, however, leads you in the opposite direction: right to left. This dynamic of opposing lines was set up by the angle of the shot. If it had been straight on, the bricks would have been straight and would have served as a backdrop rather than a key element as an opposing line.

Frontier Town Mural, Old Colorado City, Colorado

Mural Lines

In the image below, the lines of the brick wall and the lines of the shadows from a nearby tree are in opposition. How does your eye move through this photo? The perspective, again created by standing at an angle to the brick wall, creates the opposing lines. The lines make an otherwise simple image more interesting. The lead-in image, of the stairway and shadow, provides a similar dynamic of opposing lines using shadows.

Lines of Brick and Shadow, Corvallis, Oregon

Lines of Brick and Shadow

I loved the lines created by the architecture in Chicago, and this image of reflected buildings sets up an interesting opposing-line dynamic. Without the reflection, the image would be a simple repeating grid of windows. With the reflection, there is a strong diagonal created by the buildings along the lines of the side of the windows. That diagonal is opposed by the thicker lines of the bottom of the windows. I find the opposing lines in the image more interesting than a standard view of buildings against sky.

Reflecting Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Reflecting Chicago

Opposing lines aren’t just found on the outside of buildings, in this image from the Art Institute of Chicago, the reflection of the beam creates an opposing line. There is not as much tension in this image as those discussed previously, since the reflection serves to connect the two beams into a zig-zag. This leads your eye through from beam to beam. The opposing lines of the window panes makes a stronger dynamic, leading your eye back up to the top of the image after you zig-zag down.

Down and Up Again, Chicago, Illinois

Down and Up Again


Shadows, reflections and angled perspectives are all great ways to create opposing lines in your images. What other ways can you find to set up this dynamic? Take a look at your archives and go out exploring to find opposing lines. You can link up below, through 17 November. I can’t wait to see what you find!



FYI - Links will be moderated. Please use a permalink, ensure that your linked image is on topic, and include a link back to this site in your post through the Exploring with a Camera button (available here) or a text link. Thanks!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Feel free to share!
  • Tweet

Filed Under: Exploring with a Camera, The Kat Eye View of the World Tagged With: architecture, black and white, Chicago, Colorado, Corvallis, Illinois, lines, opposing lines, Oregon, reflection, shadow

Comments

  1. kirstin says

    November 4, 2011 at 1:39 pm

    I need to start looking for lines in my photography. These are all wonderful, Kat. My favourite is the bricks and shadow; it’s gorgeous.

    • Kat says

      November 4, 2011 at 6:08 pm

      And it’s black and white – your fav!!

  2. Susan says

    November 4, 2011 at 5:27 pm

    Hey Kat-
    Way cool topic. Can’t wait to search the archives and seek out new possibilities on this one.
    PS….new site if extra fab!! Worth your time and effort.

  3. Anita @ GoingalittleCoastal says

    November 5, 2011 at 9:52 pm

    I just happened to have some opposing lines in my last post! I find they really bring a lot of interest to a shot. Love the reflections of the buildings.
    Thanks so much for hosting!

  4. BellaVidaLetty says

    November 6, 2011 at 10:11 am

    Such an interesting topic to think about. A very enjoyable read.

  5. Anna VanDemark says

    November 6, 2011 at 10:05 pm

    Hi Kat,
    Opposing lines in architecture are generally very strong and apparent. They are still to be found in the natural setting, such as my garden example, but they are a bit more subtle. In my capture, the vertical and diagonal leaves set up an opposing mix of lines.
    Wishing you a happy week,
    Anna

  6. Rohit Sareen says

    November 6, 2011 at 10:52 pm

    hi, both the tutorial and the perspective are great. i’ve put in my contribution but im gona go out and try a lot more of these in the near future. tx for this!

    My Third Eye

  7. Galina says

    November 7, 2011 at 12:21 am

    Opposing lines are so energetic to me!
    Thank you fro posting this – I’ve added my image of Golden Gate Bridge 🙂

    • Barbara Lynn Culler says

      November 7, 2011 at 6:46 am

      I’ve posted a photo for the first time and though it’s not crisply focused, lines are emphasized!

  8. Dawn B says

    November 7, 2011 at 9:47 am

    Dear Kat,

    I am a ground floor amateur photographer who just began posting over at Ashley Sisk’s Scavenger Hunt Sunday. What I like most about the scavenger hunt is Ashley linking up with folks like you who teach us to see our world in a new way and then preserve a moment in time with our camera. Thank you, thank you for this wonderful prompt and lesson.

    Dawn

  9. mary says

    November 7, 2011 at 6:37 pm

    I added a photo of the underside of the Golden Gate bridge.

    I found your site from a link in Ashley Sisk’s scavenger hunt Sunday.

    Fun to look at the world with new eyes.

  10. Tezzie says

    November 9, 2011 at 10:57 pm

    I’m seriously in awe of that Mural Lines photo! So inspirational!

  11. Dina @ 4 Lettre Words says

    November 12, 2011 at 1:50 pm

    This was so much fun, Kat!

    P.S. I received my postcards and could not be happier. Thank you so, so much!

    • Kat says

      November 12, 2011 at 4:07 pm

      Yay! Glad you got them. 🙂

  12. Marcy says

    November 14, 2011 at 3:39 am

    Great tutorial. I really liked “mural lines”–such a different perspective than I would have thought of.

  13. Stasha says

    November 17, 2011 at 12:00 am

    Love how your photography blends so seamlessly into your everyday thoughts and life. Great challenge this week, I enjoyed looking for examples.

Trackbacks

  1. A blogger completes a task to make 50 random blog comments(Don't Be) Too Timid and Squeamish says:
    January 4, 2012 at 3:27 pm

    […] Exploring with a Camera: Opposing Lines | Kat Eye […]

  2. Weekend Away: Wall Art | Kat Eye Studio says:
    January 8, 2012 at 8:57 am

    […] This wall mural, found in Old Colorado City, Colorado, cracked me up! You might remember a different view of this wall art in Exploring with a Camera: Opposing Lines. […]

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Upcoming Events

Books Available

  Digital Photography for Beginners eBook Kat Sloma

Annual Postcard Swap

Online Photography Resources

search

Archives

Filter

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Upcoming Events

© Copyright 2017 Kat Eye Studio LLC