Plenty of atmosphere and moodiness here. The leading line curving in from the bottom of the frame works well, while the second leading line, from the railing to the seated subject, is also effective. Perhaps a little extra care might have been taken with the horizon and lamps – neither are quite straight here, which unsettles the eye. The processing is also a touch heavy.
This is a lovely scene, just shot at the wrong time of day (which often can’t be helped!) Highlights in the foreground track, caused by the sun, catch the viewer’s eye a little too much, which detracts from the rest of the picture. The contrast between foreground and background is also a touch too much. Returning in late afternoon/early evening may well result in a cracking shot!
Taking pictures from the top of the Eiffel Tower is enough to give anyone vertigo, but the sloping horizon is just too distracting here (easily remedied in post-production). When the horizon leans like this it can be unsettling to the eye, especially when parts of the scene are symmetrical and need to look balanced. A few tweaks and a slightly tighter crop could take this image to the next level.
You can almost feel the energy and vibrancy of the city here. Using a slow shutter speed has created wonderful light trails, full of movement and colour. Taking the shot when there is still a touch of colour in the sky was a great idea. The only thing that stops this from being a Top 10 shot is the fact that the eye tries to travel in two directions, following the light trails on the right and the left. It's a great image.
The leading lines created by the mussel farm act as stepping stones for the eye, jumping us to the back of the scene without any rush. The panoramic crop works well, removing much of the sky and concentrating our attention on the mountains and the centre strip of buildings. It's a lovely image with lots of atmosphere.
The leading lines direct the viewer's eye perfectly here. First we enter the frame at the bottom, then we take in the dead wood and travel inwards and upwards towards the peak. An aperture of f/11 has kept everything nice and sharp, while the detail in the sky has allowed plenty of interest in the reflection. The exposure has been handled well, with slight adjustments to the shadows in post revealing texture, without going too far. It's a beautiful image of a popular scene.
It’s unusual to see leading lines used to direct attention to a face, but it’s very effective here. The focus is exactly where you want it to be (on the face) and the wide aperture (f/1.7) has allowed the sticks in the foreground to fall out of focus, which I like. My only criticism is that the sticks overlap parts of the face, which make it look like they’re poking the child. A slight move to the left might have resolved this.
This image has enormous impact and great atmosphere too. The methane bubbles serve as great leading lines, with the curves of the ice on the left and right guiding us into the scene brilliantly. My only criticism is that due to the extra focus (and detail) created by the focus stack, the viewer’s eye struggles to know whether to look at the foreground or the background first. Personally, I don’t think it would have hurt to let the mountain fall slightly out of focus to show us where to look first. Fabulous shot!
Using a slow shutter speed to blur the sky and water has worked wonderfully here, creating blue/grey washes of colour. Tweaking the shadows has helped to reveal great texture in the rocks, while bringing the highlights down a touch has prevented any distractions. Personally, I feel the area on the right is slightly redundant. To make the most of the leading line it might have been better to crop this area and create a square format image. Otherwise, great!
When faced with a mix of lines, shapes and shadows it must have been hard to select a portion and find order in the visual chaos. As such, the photographer has done a great job of bringing a sense of movement and rhythm to the picture. The black & white treatment works well, helping to reduce distractions and draw our attention to the innovative architecture.
The colours and lines in this scene are striking, but it's the simplicity that really appeals to me. There are just three key elements: the steps, the child and what looks like a leaf or piece of rubbish. It would have been very tempting to remove this detritus, but without it the picture would lose its sense of depth. The use of natural light is great, creating highlights on the face and arms - just where we want it.
7,990 Images entered
Meet the expert judge
3,746 Photographers
Brief
See more contest details
We're exploring a well known compositional aid in this contest. Leading lines will be familiar to most - features in an image that lead the eye from one part of it to another, most often from the foreground to the background, and sometimes converging on the same point. They can help bring the foreground and background together, a pleasing link, as well as being interesting forms in themselves. Landscapes offer leading lines in the forms of rivers, walls and roads. In the urban setting they can be any form of human-made construction, a road or the edges or features of a building for example.
223,647 Ratings
There’s so much to enjoy about this shot: the lines of the staircase leading your eyes to the couple, the detail on the balustrade, the position of the subjects in the frame – I could go on! Using an ISO of 1600 has introduced a fair amount of noise in the shadows, but due to the black & white treatment this gives it the air of grainy film. My only complaint is that the staircase is a little too dark. Just a touch more light and it would have been a Top 10 for me!
