Finding Compelling Lines in Photography

Railroad Tracks and Telephone Wires

The railroad track meets the horizon, encountering a set of horizontal power lines that cross the sky. Photo by Matthew Bamberg

Vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines in photographs add depth and perspective to your photographs. Use them well, as they can appear to expand your frame into a third dimension.

Man-made elements such as telephone wires and railroad tracks are plentiful around the world. Shooting them so that they are the sole subjects in the frame creates an interesting picture of how we humans live.

Railroads carry goods; wires carry power. That’s the story of our lives–goods, and power, the essence of the human spirit if you choose to look at it that way.