Diagonal composition works?

All the pictures we take are rectangles, so what is the longest line in the rectangle?

Diagonal, that is, the line from a vertex to a diagonal vertex. Photography sometimes uses this line to compose a composition.

Q 1: What is diagonal composition?

Let's illustrate it with a work, this famous one? Ho Fan? One of the excerpts from the teachers' works of Yesterday's Hong Kong;

Q2: How to make a diagonal composition?

Generally speaking, diagonal composition can be divided into complete diagonal composition and near diagonal composition. A complete diagonal composition is relatively simple. Just point the diagonal line in the diagram to a corner of the diagram. Whether the straight line is a straight line or a curve, this composition is called diagonal composition.

Q3: What do you mean by nearly diagonal composition?

There are two other situations. The first one is to straighten the picture as much as possible when shooting diagonal composition, like this? Don't lean on the corners on both sides of the diagonal. Such photos will look more comfortable in most cases because they are not so deliberate. Although there is such a diagonal in the figure, it is not completely diagonal:

Q4: What can diagonal composition be used to shoot?

One is things with single lines, such as the outline of buildings, shadows, branches, railings, roads, mountains and so on. The composition of this shot is easy to imagine;

Second, the dynamic diagram. People often think that the horizontal picture is stable, but sometimes we need to make the picture look more dynamic. Some photographers will deliberately tilt the picture (obviously), so that the picture will be particularly dynamic:

Q5: Are there any other precautions for diagonal composition?

First, don't use vertical composition. Of course, you can try, but in most cases, the diagonal line of vertical composition is a bit contrary to the observation habits of the naked eye, and you will always feel awkward, such as crooked, rather than deliberately composing.

Secondly, there is no need to be diagonal for diagonal's sake. Some pictures really need to level the horizontal line, such as just taking pictures of the scenery, which will be strange to tilt (such as the picture below).