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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #228 – Diagonals

San Fransisco, California.

This week, Patti’s challenge focuses on the use of diagonal lines to illustrate perspective or create a leading line to help direct the viewer’s eyes through the image. She writes, “What diagonals can you find? A line of trees or stones, a series of lights or signs, tree branches or a row of hedges, or a row of cupcakes in a bakery window? Consider if the diagonals add a sense of depth, or action, or invite the viewer to explore the scene.” You can read her entire challenge post here.

The Painted Ladies, a well-known sight in San Fransisco, are Victorian-style homes built on a hillside. The uphill slant creates a diagonal line of the road in front of the homes that helps direct the viewer left to right, a natural action anyway for people schooled in reading text in the Anglo and European countries, anyway. Students of architecture note the diagonal rooflines as classic Victorian construction.

The Lower Falls at Spokane Washington’s Riverfront Park.

This view from a gondola above the falls happens to capture diagonals both in the downward motion of the water, and the sidewalk and staircase on the right side of the image. The leading lines in this case direct the eye opposite the water flow to the dropoff at the top of the falls.

Cheese Ranch Park in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

A photographer friend invited me to walk along with him as he showed me around the park in his neighborhood. We walked along the path from the opposite direction underneath the large tree that appears to be ready to fall directly across the path. From the view on the other side, the trunks of the trees on the left were not visible, but when we walked under the tree, I happened to turn around to see that the large tree on the right isn’t the only tree that is on the lean. In my opinion, this view made a much more interesting composition than the view from the other side.

1959 Chevrolet Impala.

At the Mecum Auto Auction in Glendale, Arizona, I happened upon a car that brought back memories of my early adulthood. One of my first cars was a 1959 Chevrolet Impala in that very shade of blue. Clearly, this one is much nicer looking than my Impala. First of all, the two-tone white top and blue lower sections much improve the look of the single-color blue of the vehicle that I once owned. The interior, however, featured the same upholstery scheme as mine, and the all-metal chrome and blue dash was the identical design in the days of unpadded dashboards… But I digress, back to the discussion of diagonals.

The 1880 Train in South Dakota.

This image features two converging lines, the tracks traveling from left to right, and the highway traveling from right to left until they intersect at the rail and road junction. In the image, a single vehicle yields to the excursion train. Even though the subjects are in no danger, to me, there is tension in the converging lines.

On the North Shore of Lake Superior.

In September, we traveled from Duluth Minnesota to Thunder Bay Ontario as part of our month-long journey to New York and our Canadian cruise. I was struck by the design of this breakwater along the way. The eyes naturally follow the zigzag until they run into the visitors walking along the breakwater, then they continue on to see the lighthouse, one of many along the North Shore.

Breakwater at the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Along the way to Canada, the sights of Lake Superior are interesting, and there are more lighthouses than I have ever seen before. This view is of the entrance to Agate Bay at Two Harbors, Minnesota. You will see more of these scenic views in the December 13, Travel Tuesday post next week. If you’d like to pixel-peep at these images in 2K HD, feel free to click on one to view it on my Flickr site or view the entire album here.

Thanks to Patti for hosting this challenge that focuses on composition especially using diagonals for their various useful functions. Next week, Ann-Christine hosts. If you’d like to join in the fun, check out the “how-to” here.

John Steiner

38 comments

  1. Great post, John. I love the Painted Ladies, so much more colourful than any Victorian house here! The Cheese Ranch Park are amazing, the composition is just perfect and I do also love your last one, what a brilliant shot.

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  2. Terrific choices this week John. I think it’s a tie for me between the leaning tree and the train. I agree the converging lines on that one are terrific. Loved all of your examples. (OK, yes, the car is great too LOL)

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  3. Great images for this challenge John! I haven’t been to San Francisco in a long time. It seems to me that the painted ladies have lost some of their vibrant color. I loved the leaning trees. I can only imagine the winds that place gets.

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  4. Great photos as always, John. Loved the Painted Ladies. I lived near them, I believe, at the start of my computer career nearly 40 years ago. I had a studio apartment that cost $500/month, a princely sum at the time. I had to get a residential parking sticker for my car, and then be able to find a street parking spot. My white Nissan Sentra, after a wash, would be coated with city soot within a day. The Cheese Ranch is much closer to home now. LOVE the iconic ’59 Chevy. Classic tail fins.

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  6. What a good variety of diagonals you’ve found! Although I’m not normally especially into cars or car photography I make an exception for one as beautiful as ‘your’ Chevrolet. Old US cars are so much more attractive than ours, I find! And in another unusual choice for me, I love the converging railway tracks and road in your 1880 train shot. Did you notice (I’m sure you did!) that the shape made by those two diagonals is nicely echoed by the railroad crossing sign?

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  13. Creative examples. San Francisco is certainly deserving of a nod here. It’s the one of the most iconic diagonals from that area.

    I also loved the converging lines of train photo.

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  17. I love this post, John. Great choices of trees, trains, cars, boardwalks…I was really drawn into your shot of the Painted Ladies, the boardwalks, and the train at the crossing. You’re right about the view of the trees from the other direction. A great capture.

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