Simply put, leading lines are lines that photographers use to guide the viewer’s gaze through a frame. Considering that lines can be easily found all around us, it comes as no surprise that leading lines are among the most used compositional elements in landscape photography. Some of the most obvious examples are railroads, highways, trees, the horizon, and rivers. However, a trained eye can find subtle lines formed by a series of aligned trees, pebbles, and even the retrieving water on the shore.

Why should we use leading lines:

In general, we can use any line as leading lines. Often, landscape photographers employ lines to achieve two distinct goals:

1. Create an impression of depth;
2. And create structure in the frame.

By nature, photography is limited to be printed in two-dimensional media (at least for now). And by using lines in a frame, photographers can create a sense of depth. As a consequence, viewers are more likely to engage with this three-dimensional-like image. These lines can also help photographers divide the frame into different layers, facilitating the viewer’s job while exploring the various details existing in the picture.

The types and psychology of leading lines:

We can divide leading lines into four different groups: horizontal, vertical, angled, and curved. Each one of those lines will help to convey a different mood to your image. Thus, it’s essential to understand the psychology of those different types of lines and learn how to use them to reinforce your image’s message.

• Horizontal lines: horizontal lines are the most ubiquitous type of line in landscape photography. For example, you can easily add this type of line by showing the horizon on your frame. In reality, creating landscape photography without horizontal lines can prove challenging, as we will always have some resemblance of the horizon in the picture. Generally speaking, horizontal lines improve the harmony of the elements in the image, consequently offering a sense of tranquility and comfort.
• Vertical lines: trees, buildings, and waterfalls are some of the classic examples of vertical lines. For instance, it’s extremely easy to identify predominant vertical lines in images of cityscapes and forests filled with trees. Those lines help to convey a sense of stability, energy, and grandeur.
• Angled lines: let’s imagine you are looking at a big hill. Now, I want you to imagine how you feel at the bottom just before you start going uphill. This feeling of restless and impending action can be easily translated into an image. An image of a mountain with steep slopes will create this feeling of unbalance and motion, thus conveying a sense of drama to the viewer.
• Curved lines: studies have shown that people often think that curved lines are more pleasant than straight ones. In landscape photography, curved lines help to create a more graceful and dynamic way to transition from point A to point B.  Finally, the curvature in a line will dictate how dynamic the line will be, with less curvature transmitting a calmer feeling.

Leading lines and Landscape Photography – Putting all together:

Now that we understand how the different types of leading lines will affect your composition let’s learn to use lines to improve your landscape photography.

• The lines have to serve a purpose: while lines can help to create structure in a frame, it’s important to remember that every element in a picture should serve a purpose. The most crucial aspect of landscape photography is learning how to select the subject of a  photograph. As a landscape photographer, you must find the key elements and learn how to use angles and lighting to best highlight your selection. With that in mind, remember that every single line in a composition should serve a purpose.
• Straight lines: the most prominent feature separating a serious landscape photographer from a budding photographer is attention to detail. One of the most prevalent mistakes among beginners is showing an image with crooked horizon lines. Be sure to take your time and fix all the straight  – horizontal and vertical – lines in your frame. If you are not photographing the leaning tower of Pisa, your building should be straight.
• Angled lines: capturing angled lines can be a bit tricky. An angled line by itself might fail to portrait the intent behind using this type of line. For this purpose, it’s always helpful to combine an angled and a straight line in the frame. The straight line will serve as a reference for the viewer, while the angled line will convey the sense of motion and drama.
• Use lines to guide your viewers through the frame: finally, the most basic use of leading lines in landscape photography is to guide the viewers through the image. They will unconsciously follow the lines in a frame, so it’s crucial to keep that in mind when you are composing your photograph. You always want to have the leading lines pointing towards an anchor point. Otherwise, viewers might get confused by your photo and quickly lose interest.