Tutorials

A Willing Accomplice

Furthermore, she often actually helps add interest to a scene. Her different colouration and her white patches make her stand out as a distinct element in the landscape and if orientated correctly, she can serve to direct the eye through the phenomenon of ‘optical lines’. This relies on the fact that we tend to follow the direction of gaze of a person or animal to see what they are looking at. Thus their gaze forms an ‘implied line’, leading your eye into the picture, directing it to a point of interest. The potency of this line can also be enhanced by composing your photograph to include other leading lines to support it. Here are a few examples to illustrate how this might be used:

     

     
 

Remember that including a person or animal in a setting can also provide a sense of scale or help us to relate to the location. However, we don’t always want them smiling back at the camera!