There are many guidelines within photography for composition, exposure and technique that will help you create a good photograph. One of these tools is lines, which can be used to direct a viewer’s attention through the photograph. There are many different types of lines you can use in your composition: leading, horizontal, s-curves, and many more.

Leading Lines will lead the viewer’s eyes through your photo to the main subject in your photograph. You do not want the line to run through your photograph with no end. This will lead your eye in and out of the photo and holds little interest visually.

Vertical Lines help create a sense of strength in your image and can be used to make an object feel powerful. For example, a tree or flagpole in an image can seem very upright and powerful.

Horizontal Lines are stable and calming. They can evoke a sense of steadiness in your photo.

Diagonal Lines will help your photos feel dynamic. Diagonal lines will give your photos a sense of motion or change, which can help take an image that is uninteresting or bland and give it excitement.

Curved Lines help create a sense of beauty. Depending on the curve, they can also be meandering and slow down how quickly the viewer’s eyes travel through your photograph. A curved line could be a winding road, a fence along a road, or a stream curving through your image.

S Curves are very similar to curved lines but much like the name suggests follow the pattern of an S, or has a double curve. An s-curve provides great balance to an image and gives a sense of strength.

There are many more variations of lines that will evoke different emotions in your images. Next time you are out taking photos, take a moment to find how many lines you can find in the scene around you. Play with your composition to see how many images you can make out of the different lines you find!