What is Diagonals?

There are three types of diagonals we use in photography.

• Physical leading lines

• Eye gaze

• Objects placed diagonally

Why do we use these in Photography?

All these tricks are just another method to get the viewer to look at the most interesting part of the image.

It adds a dynamic atmosphere, creating layers and depth to an image.

Think of it like reading a book, one word leads to the next, all to make a fascinating storyline, except instead of words, we use multiple objects/people to create our story.

Using diagonals leads the viewers on a journey through the image, from point A to point B and beyond.

Diagonals act as a guide in which the viewer will follow until the end point, this allows for them to spend more time looking at your image, and allows them to be more captivated by the image as they go along.

Using diagonals in photography creates a multi-faceted photograph, with many different meanings, or points of focus.

Physical Leading Lines

Physical leading lines can create powerful imagery in your photos. Diagonals in your scene you can use to further draw attention to your main subject.

If you think about it, your eyes love to follow lines, it’s natural for you to want to know what is at the end of that line. This is why it is a powerful tool in photography.

The first image here follows the railing into the cliffs then guiding you to the beach. This adds depth to this photo and more atmosphere, creating a beautiful scene guiding you through the photograph.

This same technique isn’t only used in landscape photography though. As you can see in the second photo, I used one of the leaves as a leading line into my main subject; the flower.

The third photo is a bit different however. In the third picture, I have used two diagonals leading lines into one focal point, as opposed to the last couple only having one leading line. This has the perspective of something big (in the foreground closest to the camera) to something small (the background furthest away from the camera). It creates depth through the bridge narrowing the further away the subject is.

This technique can be used in any style of photography, and will help you gain a better understanding of composition.

Eye Gaze

The eye gaze method is more an imaginary line used in portrait (or animal) photography, it doesn’t physically exist in the frame, but it is created through the gaze of the model, because wherever they’re looking must be interesting right?

This is what our brains think when we see a photo of someone gazing at an object or in the distance.

As humans, of course we naturally identify with other humans, so naturally we want to know what they are looking at, and what makes it so interesting.

This creates two points of focus, firstly; the person, and secondly; what they’re looking at. Whether that be an object or the view in the distance, etc. This creates more of a story within the image itself.

This first image for example is placed surrounding beautiful yellow flowers.

The first thing our eyes naturally identify with is a person’s face. We notice their eyes which is the first focal point; then the imaginary diagonal line comes into place where we will follow the persons gaze; creating the second focal point. Then we notice their reaction to what they’re looking at to determine the mood or feeling of the image.

This diagonal line brings two elements of a photo together (the person and the object) and merges them together to create a story or evoke an emotion, mood, or feeling.

The second image is very similar to the first.

These images tell a little bit of a story. Clearly in both photos, the subtle smile created from the object (in which case is flowers for both) shows the women in a happy state, and therefore as an audience we sympathise with this emotion. My intent behind these images was to blend people with nature and create a dreamy scene, which through their reactions to the environment, it helps convey this meaning.

This invisible line with diagonals just creates more points of focus, making your photography inherently more interactive and intriguing.

The reason I have a third image here is to show you that more objects/people you have, the more focal points there are. There is four in total in this image.

A viewers gaze will always usually start on people. The woman, since she is closest to the camera and you can see more of her becomes the first focal point.

Then her interaction with hand on her partner draws you into the second point of focus, which is him.

The third point of focus comes from both of their eye gaze, which is the champagne spraying everywhere.

Your final focal point, the subject in which the spray is coming from; the champagne bottle.

The more interactive your photo is, the longer people will look at it. This is what separates a great photo from just an average one.

Objects Placed Diagonally

This could be the way in which you position your model, using her arms to frame her face. This could be the positions in which you place objects in your scene which gradually connect to your main object. If you look at Jordi Koalictics work, he uses amazing skills to achieve his photos just by the strategic placement of his objects. Adding objects in your foreground and background adds more dimension to your image creating more the viewer can interact with.

This first photo uses diagonals through the positioning of the woman’s arms. The triangles created with her arms frame her face, and you follow the natural leading lines towards her face.

As opposed to the woman just sitting there with her arms by her side, this photo become more dynamic and interesting to look at since it draws you in by following the natural form of her arms leading to the main part of the image, being the woman’s face and expressions.

This second photo uses objects to guide the viewers eyes through the photograph. The positioning of all the objects is in a slightly skewed position, going from the top right to the bottom left in direction. This means your eyes will follow through the image; from the book and leaves, to the coffee cup to the laptop, to the grapes. These objects are all placed in this direction to guide you from object to object, all creating a scene the deeper you go into the image.

Summary

This technique is a great way to create a more dynamic image. The best way I can summarise this is - The more focal points you have, the more dynamic and appealing the overall photograph will be.

This is because many focal points create a story as you merge the objects into one photo, and people will make a connection with the different focal points and create a meaning from that.

The whole purpose of photography is to create a visual story, and the diagonals method is a great way to achieve that. It leads the viewer on a journey through your artwork, creating an expansive atmosphere. Try using this method in your upcoming works and see how you go! I’m sure you’ll have more people comment on how creative and professional your work is!