Lesson #4: Leading Lines--due August 2

Following the Leader

• Use leading lines to draw the viewer's eye through the photograph.
• Lines can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or even curved.
• Use leading lines to draw the viewer's attention to the focal point.

Examples:

From hubertk.

From Alex Guerra.

From arturodonate.

Resources:

• "Better Photo Tips: Lines in your Photos" by Tedric Garrison.
• "Leading Lines" from photoinf.com.
• "Assignment 8: Leading Lines" by Kelly Hoffart.
• "Photography Tip: Use Leading Lines to Enhance the Shot" by Rich Legg.
• "Tips and Tricks- Leading Lines" by Coastline Studios.

This is our last composition lesson for awhile. For this week's lesson, take a few shots using lines to lead our eyes to the center of attention. Lines can be actual objects, such as a fence, or could even be shadows on the ground. Post your favorite photos on our Flickr site.

Let us know that you're playing along. In the comments, tell us about a road that you are looking forward to traveling down.

Lesson #3: Framing--Wrap Up

I don't know about you but I was busy this week, and it was difficult to squeeze in the third photo assignment into my crammed schedule. Luckily a trip to the zoo and carrying my point-and-shoot in my purse allowed me to capture a couple of great framing shots.

But I'm going to keep this technique in the back of my head as we move forward because even with the few images that I captured, I can see how the composition is so much more interesting when the subject is framed by other elements in the environment. What great framing opportunities did you capture this week?

Here are a couple of examples that were posted to the Shutter School Flickr group. Good work, everybody!

From Rob of Jana and Rob.

From ljam.

From Jana of Jana and Rob.

Join us on Wednesday when the next lesson will be posted!

Lesson #3: Framing--due July 19th!

On the edge!

• Use foreground elements to frame your photo's subject.
• Architectural elements work well (windows, doorways, arches, and so on), but you can find any number of interesting elements to use for framing your photos.
• Make sure not to overpower the subject!
• This might be a good lesson to begin practicing depth-of-field. (we will have an upcoming lesson that addresses this more fully!) D of F is the distance in front of and behind the subject that appears to be in focus. By adjusting your aperture and zoom, you can force the camera to focus on subjects farther back in the scene.
  

Examples:

From aurevoirkatie.

From samirdiwan.

From Human Nature.

Resources:

• "Frames in Photos" by Antti Lehtinen.
• "Guidelines for Better Photographic Composition: Framing" from photoinf.com
• "Framing your Shots" by Darren Rowse.
• "Composition Guide #3: Framing" by Zain Abdullah.
• "Framing Your Subject" by Rhonda Callow.

Spend this next week framing pictures in a variety of ways and post your favorite shots on our Flickr site. Remember that framing can be done in nature as well as with man-made things such as doorways and windows.

Let us know that you're playing along. In the comments, tell us about a door that you walked through that changed your life.

Lesson #2: View Angles--WrapUp

Woohoo! We completed the second Shutter School lesson.

This past week and a half we explored the world from a new perspective. We had to stand on chairs and get down on our bellies, but the photos from this assignment have an added level of intrigue. The unique view angles forced us to look at things differently, to consider them from another angle, to really understand how they interact with the rest of the environment.

Take a look at some of the photos we experimented with:

From Jana of Jana and Rob.

From ljam.

From Rob of Jana and Rob.

From ljam.

Join us on Wednesday when the next lesson will be posted!

Just in time for the Fourth!

Extra! Extra!

If you're headed out for an amazing Fourth of July fireworks celebration, don't forget your camera! Here are some tips for capturing the awesome light displays as they illuminate the sky.

From JuanJ.

• "11 Tips for Sparkling Fireworks Photos" from Photojojo.
• "How to Photograph Fireworks Displays" by Darren Rowse.
• "How to Take Great Fireworks Photos" by Jill.
• "How to Photograph Fireworks" from New York Institute of Photography.
• "How to Take Great Digital Photos of Fireworks" from Digital Photography blog.