week twenty-one — take a right

after a couple weeks of guest posts (thanks Delma and Chad!), i’m back with a shot of my own. this one was taken a bit before sunrise at lighthouse beach in evanston. i wrote more about the location and posted a few more shots of a similar style here, so i won’t go into too many details here.

instead, i’ll share a relevant excerpt from The Art of Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression, by Bruce Barnbaum:

“Diagonal lines have powerful compositional effects because of their inherent instability. They create tension. They are not stabilized in either a standing (vertical) or a reclining (horizontal) position. In effect, diagonal lines are in the process of falling, which gives them powerful dynamics.”

i particularly enjoy how this shot includes both a stable standing line and a “falling” diagonal line. i’m still finding that most of my good composition is accidental…i take a shot because something about the view sparks my interest, and it’s not until afterwards that i understand the reason why my interest was sparked. but the more i shoot, the more i’m able to see the strong elements of composition prior to taking the shot, which hopefully yields more shots of higher quality…

p.s. i posted this shot and a few others at 500px, and within 24 hours a few of them made it to the site’s “Popular” section — they’re all still far from being on the front page, but it’s still pretty cool when something you’ve created has been viewed by >500 internet strangers! a few of these are also available for purchase (via canvas/framed print/acrylic/download) if you’re so inclined.