Issue 2: Mastering Composition

If there is any wind, long shutter speeds will make this a challenge, however. When I shot the stunning flowers in Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam (#4) I had to wait for a lull in the wind to get a shot sharp from foreground to background. This was one of the most compelling leading line photographs I’ve taken because not only is the graphic design strong but the colors are outrageous.

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Line And Light
One of the things I look for in seeking out leading lines is unique lighting. Light vs. dark, streaks of moving lights, and long shadows can create unique foregrounds. Taillights, for example, make beautiful leading lines at night as you can see in this photo (#5) taken in downtown Los Angeles. The Greek ruins (#6) at Paestum, Italy, were photographed when the sun was low and each column cast long shadows leading from the camera position right to the ruins. I used the same strategy for shooting a model in Death Valley (#7).

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Standing on a bridge overlooking Avalanche Creek in Glacier National Park (#8), the leading line of the river did the same thing as the long shadows in the previous examples. It brings our eye into the rest of the image. This is a powerful compositional method that is used to create a strong picture.

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