Create Better Photos: Leading Lines

Have you ever wondered why some photos look mysteriously better than others?  Anyone can create a better picture.  All it takes is insider information and practice.  Here is the second installment of my series called “7 Elements of Composition.”  In this series, I’ll show you how to start taking better pictures right away.

To enhance the engagement of the viewer, the second most important tool in composition is the capturing and placement of lines. Actual or implied lines will lead the eyes of the viewer throughout the image.

Take a look at this picture of a mountain road.  Do your eyes begin at the bottom, and then travel up the road?  Do you wonder what’s around that curve?  By using these familiar converging lines, you as the viewer are now engaged with the image by moving your eyes.

As you look below at the variety of lines, notice how your eyes move throughout each image.

• Where does your attention begin and end?
• Do your eyes move in a straight line, circle or curve?
• Is your attention drawn
  from outside the frame into it, or
  from one area into another, or
  from inside the image to outside its frame?

Wasn’t that fun?  Now it’s time to think about your pictures.

Lines to guide the viewer into the frame are often convergent lines of sidewalks, hall ways, rows of street lights or trees, edges of buildings, trails, rail road tracks or even edges of shadows. Others can be patterns in nature or architecture.

Lines to keep the viewer inside your picture can be circles, spirals, or a light area into a dark area. Strong straight or diagonal lines can also be used when they end at a smaller, interesting subject.

Lines can take the viewer from inside your picture to outside the frame when the line starts at a bold, interesting subject and then extends to the edge.

Let’s build on what you’ve learned about the Rule of Thirds.  When using a subject place it in the center of your image if the entire work is symmetrical, or using the Rule of Thirds place it on the intersection of two lines once you’d divide your image into 9 imaginary sections.  Look at the images above again. In which images do you see symmetry and the Rule of Thirds applied?

OK, it’s now time to grab your camera and head out the door!  You are more aware of leading lines, so begin to use them in your composition.

The element of Leading Lines does not stand alone.  How to best use it depends on the other six composition elements.  Are you ready to learn more?  

Check back for my next blog!

I am a Southern California based Portrait, Fine Art and Commercial Photographer who sees the world a bit differently.

You can view more of my work here > Donna Edman Photography.
If you’d like to book a session, I’d be honored > Contact Me.

Together, we can Capture YOUR Life, One Image at a Time!

Brighten Your Day ~ Colors and Shapes

Did You Know … Colors and Shapes Have Meaning?

BLUE which represents peace, tranquility, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust and confidence.

Let’s mix in a little
GREEN which represents nature, healthy, good luck, renewal, generosity and vigor

and a whole bunch of 
OVALS which represent uniqueness and a zest for life.

Taking a look at this image again, what does it mean to you?

. . .

For more colorful Fine Art Images for your HOME or OFFICE, check out my galleries here:  

Fine Art Services

I am a Southern California based Portrait and Fine Art Photographer who sees the world a bit differently.

You can view more of my work here > Donna Edman Photography.
If you’d like to book a session or commission a fine art photograph,
I’d be honored > Contact Me
or call me (714) 746-2418

Together, we can make YOUR LIFE beautiful, One Image at a Time!

May Day is Here!

May Day is celebrated each year on May 1st.

Since the 1800s, in America the tradition is to leave a paper basket or cone with spring flowers and sweets on each other’s doorsteps.  This tradition is especially popular with children or sweethearts.  The custom is to knock on the door, yell “May Basket!” and then run.

Who can you bless with a May Basket?

A very special gift is a bouquet of flowers from your own garden.
For additional pretty basket ideas and other fun handmade gifts to share, check this out.

I invite you to gather a few flowers and sweets, and then place them in a paper basket or cone, or a woven basket, and share it with your neighbor.

What better way is there to show you care on this May Day!

I am a Southern California based Portrait and Fine Art Photographer who sees the world a bit differently.

You can view more of my work here > Donna Edman Photography.
If you’d like to book a session or commission a fine art photograph,
I’d be honored > Contact Me
or call me (714) 746-2418

Together, we can capture the beauty of YOUR LIFE, One Image at a Time!

Brighten Your Day ~ The Color Purple

Do you know that colors can evoke emotions?

Purple is half-blue, half-red, and our understanding of purple lies somewhere in between the serenity of blue and the passion of red.  Purple both calms and stimulates our bodies, putting us in the right place for introspection and focused insight.

It fosters creativity by awakening our senses while promoting the quiet necessary to make intuitive, insightful observations. Purple creates a harmonious balance of awareness and peace.

How about that.  Now ya know!

As we begin this new year, find some purple! Spend time in introspection.  Be intentional to create an inward-outward balance.  May you experience awareness and peace.

For more colorful Fine Art Images
for your living and working spaces,
check out my galleries here:

Fine Art Galleries

I am a Southern California based Portrait and Fine Art Photographer who sees the world a bit differently.

You can view more of my work here > Donna Edman Photography.
If you’d like to book a session or commission a fine art photograph,
I’d be honored > Contact Me
or call me (714) 746-2418

Together, we can make YOUR LIFE beautiful, One Image at a Time!

A True Love Story

“In one lifetime you will love many times but one soul you will love forever.”
~ Julie

During their engagement session, Julie told me her and Mike’s heart warming love story.

“It was summer in the 1960’s, my grammar school days.  The favorite annual trip was to our grandparent’s, Grandpa Herb and Mimi’s.   This was always a fun visit.  Life back then was not the typical way of life now.  When youngsters got restless or rambunctious, they were sent outside to play and that’s what happened when my brother, Charles, became summertime buddies with the neighbor, Mike.

My brother and Mike would swim in the pool at Mimi’s and Grandpa’s during the day and play hide-n-seek after dinner (really it was ring and ditch, but you couldn’t tell the parents that).  I often tagged along and eventually had a crush on Mike.

During one summer visit Mike stole a kiss from me, the first for each of us, that set off the spark of sparks.  Each summer that spark was rekindled, but life happens.  Mike and I were growing up.  As my mom decided that I shouldn’t be distracted in my young years by  romance she sent me to boarding school.  Mike and I were not able to keep in touch and consequentially went our separate ways.  We each married in the late 1970s and life went on except for one thing … that spark remained.

Some forty years later, with the help of social media, Mike and Charles reconnected on Facebook.  Mike inquired as to my status and asked if Charles would let him know that he was interested in hearing from me.  It took about 30 seconds for Mike and I to get back in touch.   Since then, now both unattached, we haven’t looked anywhere but forward.

Mike and I have many common interests including horses and horseback riding, animal rescue and animals in general.

After forty years of foraging separate trails, Mike and I found that the spark never went out.  Today we are here not with a spark but with a flame, one that burns for each other fully.  Mike and I are alive as soul mates … forever.”

Julie and Mike, wishing you happiness together for the rest of your lives.

I am a Southern California based Portrait, Commercial and Fine Art Photographer who sees the world a bit differently.

You can view more of my work here > Donna Edman Photography.
If you’d like to book a session, I’d be honored > Contact Me.

Together, we can Capture YOUR Life, One Image at a Time!

From Latitude to Gratitude

“The journey not the arrival matters.”
–T.S. Eliot

“Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures.”
–Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Do you know where you’re going?

For a lot of us, the unknown may virtually be just around the corner. There are places in our own city or town we may stumble upon during an afternoon stroll. But sometimes, we don’t allow ourselves to carve out those minutes from our busy days. It seems our everyday life gets in the way of our “living.”

However, when we’ve planned well and scheduled in the vacation, there are those feelings of excitement and anticipation when packing the bags. There’s something satisfying about traveling for pleasure.

Freed from the rigors of everyday life, it feels good to take a deep breath, sit back, and revel in the adventure. Like seafarers of centuries past, you lift the anchor and hoist the sails, unaware of what direction the wind might take you or what people or places you might discover on your journey.

Always be ready to capture the moment.

Of course, like most photographers, I always have my camera handy in case something interesting presents itself. Occasionally, I’m simply capturing images out of the car window as they whiz by. Other times, I’m much more intentional. Setting up the perfect photo can take time but can yield amazing results. Either way, it’s a moment frozen in time that I can share and enjoy for years to come.

Are you ready for a road trip?

With the Great White North (that’s Canada, eh?) our intended destination, my photo friend suggested a stop in Palouse, Washington, to photograph the farmlands on our way home. I had seen beautiful images of the hills of Palouse before and jumped at the chance to add my name to the list of photographers who have photographically captured this magical place.

The coolest place you don’t know.

In case you’re unfamiliar with this little gem of a locale, the picturesque, rolling hills of Palouse are a sightseer’s and photographer’s dream. Referred to as an agricultural wonderland and one of the seven wonders of Washington State, Palouse is blanketed in acre upon acre of wheat, barley, lentils and chickpeas; the richest crop in the nation.

Due to a geological tweak that produced super-soil in this pastoral “Eden,” the wheat alone can yield up to 100 bushels an acre. This is nearly twice the national average, and for Washington State is a billion-dollar industry. You can bet your lentils that’s a lot of bread – pun so intended.

Are you sure it’s morning?

After spending the night in Spokane, we were determined to reach Steptoe Butte by sunrise. Wanting to get an early start, we crawled out of bed at 4:30 a.m., before the roosters even considered crowing. The undulating hills bathed in the early morning shadows were breathtaking and I was determined to capture the sights in all their natural glory.

Get your camera ready.

We reached Palouse just before the sun painted the sky a rosy hue. This was the moment I was waiting for. I was soon snapping away like a tourist in Rome. The window of opportunity for the kind of images I wanted was small, and I wanted to capture as much as I could. Now I could relax and compose not only myself, but my images.

Every picture has a story.

The pictures I’ve included are just a few of the dozens I took. The beauty of this place still gives me chills when I look at the images. I can now check this off my bucket list and return visually any time I want.

Capture the present before it’s past.

During this road trip I also had a lot of time for pondering, and in my musings thought life has a way of hitting warp speed. Memories flooded back to when the kids were born. From infants to toddlers, walking and then talking, and then suddenly they’re off to college before we even realized it.

As a person who essentially freezes time for my clients, I realized that family photos were the best way to relive special moments, or simply capture the joys of everyday life.

Oh, I hear the groans from your children thinking they have to sit still, pose, and paste on a cheesy smile for another photograph. Though your children may not appreciate it now, as they grow older, they’ll cherish the small slices of their lives you saved. Once they start having their own children, they’ll look back with joy and happily keep the family tree growing, continuing to share their memories for years to come.

Gratitude is an attitude and thankfulness a virtue.

So, to tie in my summer memories of our road trip into this nostalgic November, I can’t help but look back at this year with an attitude of gratitude. I have a family that I love, my health, a business I’m passionate about.

I’m thankful for all the opportunities that have come my way this year, the health of my children and grandchildren, and for the ability to look forward to next year with hope and excitement.I’m sure there are things you are thankful for as well.  If it’s family, call me.  We’ll schedule time to create images which will be a part of your memories for years.  You’ll be grateful you did!

Here’s wishing you a November to Remember.

I am a Southern California based Portrait, Commercial and Fine Art Photographer who sees the world a bit differently.

You can view more of my work here > Donna Edman Photography.
If you’d like to book a session, I’d be honored > Contact Me.

Together, we can Capture YOUR Life, One Image at a Time!

A Special Way to Brighten Your Day! ~ Orange

In the Fall, we see many things that are
ORANGE, YELLOW and BROWN.

Some of these are fallen leaves, harvest and pumpkins!

 

Color can affect our moods.  Did you know that?  Let’s look at ORANGE.

Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.

To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted among young people. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite. Orange is the color of fall and harvest. In heraldry, orange is symbolic of strength and endurance.

For more colorful Fine Art Images for your home or office, check out my galleries here: Fine Art Services

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Let’s stay connected.  Make sure to like and follow my business page on Facebook www.facebook.com/DonnaEdmanPhotography/.

I want to get to know you, so introduce yourself when you visit!

 

I am a Southern California based Portrait, Commercial and Fine Art Photographer who sees the world a bit differently.

You can view more of my work here > Donna Edman Photography.
If you’d like to book a session, I’d be honored > Contact Me.