Leading Lines are lines or paths in the scene that direct the viewer’s eyes. They can be straight lines, curving paths or even a series of objects in a line. As with all photography “rules of thumb”, using leading lines in your images is optional, but if you do include them, use them thoughtfully.  Humans like structure and as advertising design experts know, a viewer can be lead across the page with the proper use of lines. The same is true for your photos.

Sometimes lines can detract from an image if they lead the viewer’s eyes away from the main subject or if there are too many competing paths for the eye to follow. The lines should direct the viewer through the image as you wish, and usually to the main focal point of the image. Before you click the shutter, you will have to move around to force the lines to point in the desired direction. Do this by identifying your main subject and taking note of the lines in the scene, then move to a position of behind the line so that it points into your image and at your main subject. Just by a little movement you can change where the line enters your scene and where they point.

Use of lines is a subtle aspect that can make the difference between a snapshot and a quality image. With digital photography, you can view the image you’ve taken and determine if the lines “work”. Then move a bit and try another shot. Your learning curve can be quick on how to use leading lines to your advantage.

Winter’s weather can bring some dramatic elements to your photos. Clouds can add mood or be the main focus of a scene.  A cloudy sky is great lighting to photograph small objects with detail, such as flowers.  Rainbows and lightning will “brighten” any photo and wet objects, such as the Rainbow Eucalyptus bark shown here, emit much deeper colors.  Snapshots of people in the rain are often thought provoking and snow, especially for those of us in Southern California can be a beautiful scene.

Capturing images in these lighting conditions often requires a minor bit of camera knowledge.  You want to see the detail of the clouds but you may have trouble balancing the light and dark areas of the scene.  If you’re shooting with a cell phone, practice pointing the camera at light and dark areas of the scene and notice how the overall picture changes.  Also look for an HDR or Cloudy Day shooting mode to help with proper exposure.

With most cameras when you push the shutter button half way down, your camera will decide how bright to make the image.  If your camera is primarily pointed at something dark, then it will brighten the whole image, and vice versa.  So play around with pointing your camera at different parts of the scene, pushing the shutter half way down and then moving the camera for the composition you want before pushing the button the rest of the way down.

Many cameras today have a featured called “Exposure Compensation” which allows you to brighten or darken an image.  Play around with that adjustment until you get a good balance of detail in the sky and subject.  Take several pictures at different exposure levels to give yourself options when you view them on the computer.  Simple photo editing tools, such as iphoto for the Mac, Picasa for the PC and many apps for your phone or tablet,  allow you to adjust the “shadows” separately from the “highlights”. 

So don’t discount winter’s weather for your photos.  Grab your camera and look for the drama.   If you’d like more examples go to www.DaveNessPhotography.com