22 Jan focus52|2012 {week four} january 22 to 28

We’re at Week Four, 52’rs! Congratulations! By now you should be quite comfortable here in the group and hopefully forming some sort of weekly routine with your photography project. If not, don’t despair. You’ll be in the swing of things in no time.

I was happy to see so many of you rise to the Black & White challenge. I saw some truly stunning images both here and in the flickr pool. I wasn’t able to comment on everybody’s work this week, but I’ve seen them all! Great work, group!

This week, Week Four, our prompt is …

By definition, leading lines are lines within a composition which lead the viewer’s eye to the subject, to another point in the image, or occasionally, out of the image.

Sometimes, the lines are obvious as in the case of roads, pathways, etc. Other times, your eyes are drawn into the photo with subtle lines as is the case in the lake above.

When you look at any given photo, your eye is naturally drawn towards and along lines. Effectively using these lines, you can pull the viewer into your photo and towards your subject, or through your photo (think winding roads, paths, etc). Leading lines can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, converging or even a lovely curved line. Learning to correctly use leading lines will lend more depth to your photos and make for an overall pleasing composition. And just as importantly, improper use of leading lines can cause viewer confusion and a skewed perception of what you are trying to present.

Been there, done that :)

Have some fun this week hunting down some leading lines! Once you get the hang of it, I guarantee you’ll be seeing them everywhere.

Whatever you choose to do this week, follow the prompt or no, come back here and link up your work when you’re done (weeks run Sunday to Saturday, don’t forget!). Links must be to the direct URL of your actual work, not just to the site it’s posted in, and may be a link to your blog post or to your flickr photo. Also, please don’t link and run – try to find some time to visit at least a few of your fellow 52’ers. That’s half the fun! And don’t forget the flickr pool!

Remember, you do not need to use the prompt in order to come back here and share.

Enjoy your week!