Curves

50mm, f/1.8, 1/50, ISO 200

Looking around my home, this tealight holder gave me the impression of smooth curves. To accentuate this further, I noted what Michael Freeman says about curves contrasting well with the various types of straight lines better than straight lines do with each other. I placed the tealight holder on the corner of my coffee table, and used a shallow depth of field to blur the background to bring the viewer's attention only to the two shapes.

35mm, f/5, 1/2000, ISO 800

I have used curved paths in some of my previous photos to create a leading line through the scene. In this scene in Bruges, Belgium, I thought the edge of the path rather than the path itself created a strong curved line through the image. I find the way it weaves from one side of the frame to the other very dynamic, and contrasts nicely with the straight-edged buildings in the background.

18mm, f/8, 1/60, ISO 200

Thinking how I could use the iron bridge for a 'curved' subject, I thought back to Freeman's point that curved lines are strengthened when there are more than one of them in a concentric pattern. I framed this image to portray exactly that, with three very strong curved lines dominating the image from left to right.

23mm, f/8, 1/400, ISO 200

These vines growing on a wall form the shape of a '2' or an 'S' in reverse. These curves imply two opposing circles. This is a very abstract, but I feel effective image, and with the lack of a strong focal point or subject in the image it is the curves that immediately capture the viewer's attention.

Diagonal Lines

55mm, f/8, 1/250, ISO 200

I had just gotten out of the car, having made a trip to Ironbridge to take photographs for this part of the course. I looked up, and firmly in 'line-seeing mode', noticed the strong diagonals in the view across the road. These lines really do make an otherwise static scene feel more dynamic. Some of the diagonals, such as those of the sign and the roof are achieved via perspective, others, such as the angular parts of the roof are 'real' diagonals.

34mm, f/8, 1/60, ISO 200

Here I decided to try a simple shift of perspective to create some diagonal lines. I was drawn to the shadowed 'facing' parts of the steps as well as the lighter top part of the steps, both of which create strong lines. 

26mm, f/8, 1/400, ISO 200

In this image, it is the sun which causes diagonals by perspective. Shining at this particular angle, it casts diagonal shadows of the vertical parts of the metal fence.

70mm, f/8, 1/320, ISO 200

These diagonal lines are another example of perspective. The narrow-boats could just as easily be horizontal lines if looked at side-on and from a low viewpoint, or vertical if looked at directly from the front or back and from a high viewpoint. In this case I created diagonals by standing at an angle to the subjects.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

46mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 200

The vertical parts of this fence panel provided an obvious subject for this exercise. I made sure not to include any other parts of the fence or other extraneous material in the frame, so that the first thing the eye notices is the vertical lines. Careful alignment was key in this image to keep the lines poker-straight for maximum effect.

20mm, f/8, 1/250, ISO 200

A less obvious vertical subject, I was drawn to the tall and thin construction of this building, which instantly makes you think 'vertical'; as such, even though the subject is the house, the shape of the house is such that the viewer would be struck more by its vertical line, than by the house itself. I used a vertical frame to compliment and accentuate the vertical structure.

22mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 200

The most abstract image of the three so far, I thought about how a line is created by contrast, and thought I could work with the contrast between these two different types of paving materials. Thinking about it now, I think I should have used a vertical frame to accentuate the two vertical shapes.

110mm, f/8, 1/60, ISO 200

These different coloured leather belts hanging from a stand on a market stall created contrasting vertical lines. I have included the buckles for context, but I have no doubt the first thing the viewer notices in this image is the strong vertical lines.

19mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO 200

A line of points, daffodils in this instance, provide the horizontal line. I like the contrast of the yellow flowers with the green stalks and grass, which is exaggerated when the image is de-saturated. I had to frame very carefully here to make the line as straight as possible, otherwise the effect would be compromised. An unintended by-product of my horizontal line is the additional lines created by the brick border to the flower bed, and the thin slice of path which terminates at the bottom of the frame. There was no way in the circumstances to isolate just the flowers, so instead I properly incorporated the background features, placing the building off-centre, balanced by the trees on the right.

95mm, f/8, 1/100, ISO 200

A more abstract interpretation of horizontal. The white chalk on the black board exaggerated the effect of the lines of text being actual horizontal lines. This effect is helped I think by the straight chalk line following each item on the menu, which helps to preserve and extend the horizontal lines.

120mm, f/4.5, 1/800, ISO 200

 I used my telephoto lens to zoom in on these old roof tiles on a building in Stratford-upon avon. My low perspective meant that I was seeing the tiles as rather thin horizontal lines.

78mm, f/8, 1/250, ISO 200

I really like the simplicity in this image, and how the light-coloured wooden fence, contrasting against the darker grass and trees, divides and organises the image.

I was surprised at how much more difficult I found it to locate suitable horizontal scenes than I did vertical scenes for this exercise.