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You can even use horizon lines as diagonals if you’re especially bold. …it immediately becomes a compelling diagonal, stretching from the bottom corner of the frame to the top opposite corner of the frame. If you look carefully enough, you can find them everywhere–especially because a straight line, positioned properly within the frame, automatically becomes a diagonal.įor instance, you might find a fallen tree in a forest, which initially presents itself as a straight line.
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Put another way, visual flow helps focus the viewer, so that they’re able to understand your photo and what it’s about.Īnd that’s why diagonals are so useful they guide the viewer, keep them engaged, and take the viewer where you–the photographer–want them to go. It directs the viewer toward the most essential part of the photo, while keeping them away from the less essential parts.
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Visual flow is also important for another reason: If you can move the viewer through the frame, they’ll engage with the photo for longer, they’ll appreciate it more, and they’ll become captivated. Visual flow is a fundamental part of photographic composition. So if a diagonal begins at the edge of a composition, it draws the viewer in, and then takes them on a journey all the way to the other end. In other words, they move the viewer’s eye through the frame, from one end of the diagonal to the other. Why Should You Use Diagonals in Photography?ĭiagonals are powerful compositional elements. While straight lines can make for very compelling photography, diagonals offer something different–which is why it’s worth drawing a distinction between the two. The key thing to remember is that diagonals must be slanted.
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