How to use polyline to pattern?

Lead: Polyline is a very common composition technique (also called guide line), which is simple but has strong visual effect. When shooting scenery or portraits, you might as well observe whether there is a convergence line in the environment, and if there is, make good use of it. Common places are roads, rivers and railways. For example, you can go to Tai Po, where you can exercise in the Railway Museum and Lincun River.

Here are four shooting techniques:

1. Try different directions and positions.

The convergence line does not have to converge from the foreground to the middle, but can also converge from the lower left corner to the upper right corner, which becomes a diagonal effect. The former is a kind of gravity that makes people walk into the depths, while the latter brings a strong sense of movement. So try different angles and directions when shooting, not just one. (Photo: Steve coleman)

Use a wide-angle lens

Using a wide-angle lens can make the distance sense of the object more obvious, the starting point of the convergence line will be more separated and the visual impact will be greater.

3. Pay attention to the focus position

If the convergence line is used, the audience's eyes will definitely follow the line to the convergence point, which is the focus of the audience's attention, so pay attention to the position of the focus. Generally speaking, you can choose to put it in the middle, or you can use the composition formula of trisection to make the focus look more comfortable. Even, some people will deliberately put the intersection outside the photo frame so that people can't see it, which is also a way to appreciate the work through imagination.

4. Convergence of off-line points of interest

In addition to shooting the connection line, you can also consider adding points of interest on the line, such as waiting for a bus on the track or exposing the track for a long time on the road. However, it should be noted that if something crosses or interferes with the convergence line, the photo will lose its center of gravity. (Photo: Mark Menzies)