Project 21: Diagonals

I have included a variety of diagonals captured, with differing lenses etc. Note that the Millennium Bridge was the only architectural subject with contained true diagonals (the supporting wires for the curve of the bridge), whereas the others were created by perspective.

The roof of my house, with the icicles, was taken at 70mm, mainly to record the icicles which I don't remember seeing like this since I was a child. This particular viewpoint added some diagonal tension to the shot for interest.

The shadows on the backlit trees were cast diagonally by virtue of where I was shooting from.

The edge to edge diagonal of the High Level Bridge at night was created by a wide angle perspective (10mm). It does create an unstable feeling, particularly with a bridge as the main structure. There is also a diagonal in the opposite direction, created by the fence posts converging in the distance, as well as another diagonal line formed by the streetlights. This variety of diagonals makes this the most active of all my uploaded images, but I feel this may not be to everyone's taste.

I took several shots of the violin (see "curves") but this was by far by favourite one. I don't often photograph "still life" as I find it difficult to be innovative. This diagonal composition gave the shot much more interest than a straight representational shot of a violin.

The final part of the project required me to look through "The Photograph" for examples. This made me realise just how many photographs within that book contained diagonal lines as key design elements. "The Open Door" and "The Library" by William Henry Fox Talbot, and "Grand Canyon of the Colorado" by William Henry Jackson to name but a few. However, the image that stood out the most was "Dunes, Oceano" by Edward Weston. The parallel diagonal patterns in the sand create an abstract image that is anchored by 4 key diagonals running left to right across the frame. This has created a dynamic and eyecatching image with great rhythm, simply from sand (albeit windblown into patterns).