Vertical lines

  We are surrounded by vertical lines, most plants grow upward and it's a rare building that is not made of vertical lines or a road climbing a hill can appear as a vertical line, especially if it is photographed through a long lens. Any vertical lines within the frame will have to be carefully placed to be parallel with the frame otherwise the viewer will instantly spot the discrepancy and be confused as to whether the line is vertical or diagonal.
    A single vertical will generally sit more happily in a vertical frame (Freeman 2007) but multiple verticals can sometimes look better in a horizontal frame as it can help to provide a sense of depth.
    When used in conjunction with a horizontal line,  a sense of balance can be achieved, because we are used to standing up on a level surface and because the directional force of the lines cancel each other out a sense of peace enters the image because all is right with world, all the right way up.

   This first image shows a Snakeshead Frittaleria which is a single vertical in the frame and therefore looks happier in a narrow upright frame, I love taking pictures of these flowers and I have planted them in my garden just for this purpose. They look great in black and white as they have a definite checkerboard pattern on their petals.

    This image of silver birch trunks in the early evening light still looks best in a tall frame because the trunks are quite thin.

   I am less happy with this image, I hoped to get an image with light raking across the brickwork to create shadows behind the brick pillars to emphasize the verticals, but I could never catch it at the right time.Also I think I should have tried a horizontal frame to get greater depth and include more pillars.

   This image is a local flour mill is a vertical building made of vertical panels, but the verticalness is softened by the different opposing angles. This is one of those locations that changes with the direction of the light as the angle change in rakes across the corrugated structure.
   This photograph carries on the the tradition of making images of farm buildings by such luminaries Walker Evans (1903-1975) who travelled the American countryside in the 1930's recording the effects of the Depression for the Farm security Administration. He made photographs of farm buildings in all states of repair and let the light uncover their architectural forms.

    Once again this is a single vertical in the frame, it is very simple but I think it is a really strong image in a Deadpan style. I love the idea of having this picture hanging on a wall and people stopping to look at the stop sign.

Ref: Freeman, M.2007. The Photographers Eye. Ilex. Lewes