Photography Tip: Leading Lines and Curves

Ladies and Gentlemen, the answer to the $64,000 question is:

This is a leading line.

It has nothing to do with photography but, if it got you to look a little closer at my

Photography Tip today, it worked. It’s a little trick you can use in your photographic technique, too.

When composing a shot:

Look around and find some lines to draw attention to your subject. They don’t even have to be straight lines. Anything in the scene that can be captured and lead the viewer’s eye from the corner of the frame towards the subject is fair game. Sometimes it’s a curved or crooked line, like a branch, shoreline, curve in the road or, paint on a basketball court. 

Some examples of straight lines used in pointing towards a subject are handrails, railroad tracks, the roof of a house, edge of a sidewalk, even the crease in someone’s shirtsleeve. The diagonal line of the sail on a boat, a tent or the white lines painted in a parking lot can be used to point from a corner of your photo to the subject. The lines don’t even have to reach all the way to the corner just use them to help the subject say, “Hey, I’m over here. Look at me”!

  Use lines and curves to your advantage.

Every scene doesn’t require leading lines. But, when you shoot something as huge as a castle, compose the scene so any lines , or curves lead into a corner of your frame. It will give your scene some balance.

 

In your travel photos, use this simple rule of composition. You’ll start noticing a depth to your pictures which makes you feel you could walk right into the scene. Give Leading Lines a try next time you’re out snapping photos. You may come home with the $64,000 photo. 

Flowers, Ferns, Caves and Castles on a Rainy Day (Photos)

Today the weather gurus predicted thunder storms.  We don't get thunderstorms in November.

Thunderstorms are supposed to be a summertime thing, I thought.

So, when RyukyuRu came by, we decided to go shoot photos of some caves and castles.

This photo of a whatchamacallit (some kind of tree with flowers on it) was on the grounds of the first castle ruins we stopped at.  The sky was already turning violent-looking colors so, I picked on flowers instead of castles.  The castles, I'll get photos of when the sky is blue, not gray.

Here's a closer look at the bell-shaped flower-things.  I figure somebody out there knows the name of them and I won't have to lose another bet with my wife over them.  She knows almost everything, you know, except how to make beer.

Before leaving this castle ruins, I decided to let some sky creep in because I want to remember this location.  Barely visible in the center of this photo are rocks that make up the castle walls.

These ruins are on Okinawa's east coast.  We met a few characters who live nearby and discovered they like karaoke and maybe, some spirits to drink.  So, I promised to stop by again, someday when the weather is more cooperative and we'll do that castle, right.

Off to the other side of the island, we went.  And the thunderstorms happened.

This is the terrain around castle ruins we discovered on Okinawa's west coast.

The rain slacked off.  In between gusts of wind and a few more sprinkles, I managed to capture a few photos of the ferns and wet, jungle vegetation.

There is a cave entrance in the center of this photo, just beyond the ferns.

Several places around these castle ruins have huge cave entrances but, they looked too slippery and dangerous to enter without flashlights.  We decided to return here, another day and I'm glad we did.

Just before getting back in the car, we ran across someone who lived nearby that cave.

He told us, he decided to explore that cave one day, just as a typhoon was approaching Okinawa.

When he got to the cave entrance, the cave had filled to the brim with water.

It's probably not the ideal place to go on a rainy day.

The weather is supposed to be stormy for the rest of this week.  The castles and caves will have to wait.  Flowers and ferns can be fun to shoot on rainy days but, for now I think it's more important to get the right equipment for exploration, dry and recharge my cameras and do some beers !

When Wildlife Calls Get Out of Town (Photo Essay)

Today I got on the road with RyukyuRu.  We went to do some photography in the city, again.

Starting at UNESCO Shuri Castle I recomposed a photo I had done before at night.

Then moved outside the castle gates to shoot another UNESCO World Heritage property that is missed by most visitors, even though they walk right by it on their way into the castle.

It is the Stone Gate of Sonohyan Utaki.

That is the entrance to a sacred site where worship took place when Okinawa was known as the Ryukyu Kingdom and the property is still considered sacred to most Okinawans to this date.

To make sure I don't get this Utaki, or shrine confused with another one we have in the east  I caught a quick shot of this plaque.  I'll keep it on file along with the Stone Gate photo and have all the information I need for research in both Japanese and English.  You never know when it may come in handy.

Now, taking photos of castles, shrines, festivals is alright with me.  It can even be a challenge for me at times.  That can be fun but, I really enjoy being far away from any city a whole lot more.

Before we got to that bridge in the first photo, wildlife called me.

RyukyuRu was locking up the car or checking his GPS while I was off setting up a tripod.

When he caught up to me I sort of whispered "Woodpecker" and pointed in the direction I spotted it.  These characters don't hold still for very long.

That's where Continuous, or Burst Mode comes in handy.

After I knew I nabbed a good shot of some wildlife, we could have headed home.  I was happy.

But, we decided to investigate this patch of woods and found all kinds of things to shoot.

We'll have to get back there one of these days.  He can drop me off in the early morning,  go shoot castles, sacred sites, temples, waterfalls, or whatever else he sees along the trail.  Then, come back and pick me up at sunset.  When wildlife calls just get me out of town.

Sneak Preview (Photos) Two More Okinawan Castles

TAMAGUSUKU CASTLE

ITOKAZU GUSUKU

CASTLES ON MY THINGS TO DO LIST, NOW

These two castles are not on the list of UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES in Okinawa, Japan but, they are important National Historic Sites. 

One is the third largest fortress on the island and the other is the oldest castle on Okinawa.

Yesterday was the first time I'd ever seen either of them.  You'll only get this sneak preview today.

I want to make several more visits and shoot them from every angle and under the best lighting conditions. 

I provided links for anyone who just can't wait.  Don't worry.  I'll getterdun.

They're on my Things To Do List, Now !

UNESCO Castle Maintenance - Check This Lady Out! (Photo)

There are five UNESCO World Heritage Castles on the island of Okinawa, Japan and a month never goes by without me visiting one or two of them. Most of the time I like to get there early for the good lighting conditions and to avoid having tourists show up in my pictures. This day was different. A lady was on the top of the castle stairway. She was doing maintenance on the castle walls. And, best of all, she had a bright blue sky in the background. CLICK, CLICK, CLICK...

Not wanting to bother her with asking for permission, I sorta tiptoed up a few stairs at a time. I watched to make sure she was concentrating on her work, her face wouldn't be visible and she wouldn't know I was sneaking closer and closer. Each time I stopped, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK just as if I was trying to get a great shot of some exotic wildlife. That's how you do it, you sneak, aim, focus and click!

The tool the lady is using for her maintenance is a hand sickle called a kama. It is also a weapon used in the Okinawan Martial Arts. She is removing the vegetation sprouting between the stones of the castle walls. All the UNESCO Castles on Okinawa are constructed of stone but, they don't use mortar. The shape of the stones, their weight and gravity hold the walls in place.

PHOTO: INSIDE SHURI CASTLE

Shuri-jo

The throne of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Shuri Castle located in the hills above Naha was the center of the kingdom’s trade, culture and politics and in fact, Naha is still the capitol city of Okinawa, today.

Best guesses estimate the castle was originally built during the 12th or 13th Century and records indicate that it was burned-down and reconstructed several times over the years.

In 1945 during the battle of Okinawa, the castle was destroyed. Construction and restoration began in the early 1990’s and today it is the most visited tourist attraction on the island.





For more information on Shuri-jo (Castle) and other UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the island of Okinawa, Japan click on the title to this post.

PICADADAY

PUBLISHED

IN

CAMERA

TALK

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INTERESTING

QUESTIONS

POPPED-UP.

HOW DO

YOU GET PERMISSION TO PUBLISH SOMEONE'S PICTURE ? READ ABOUT IT HERE.

Katsuren Castle

The weekend went by fast ! Cloudy and cold, but not too much rain. So, I got out and did some Castle shooting. The idea is to try and catch each major Castle in the right light and at the right time of day so I have Postcard perfect pictures of every one of them. It didn't turn out that way, but I got alot of practice in and even managed to catch a few wildlife shots while I was at it.

Tourists sometimes get in the way when you're trying to get the perfect shot and it used to drive me insane. Now, sometimes I let them in the picture, but I wouldn't want it hanging on my wall and nobody would probably want to buy it except maybe the tourists in the picture. Hey, that might work if I could squeeze a small printer in my camera bag !

The lenses I usually use aren't really the best for trying to shoot a humongus Castle and the grounds around it. One of these days I'll have to break down and invest in a really expensive wide-angle lens and leave the bazookas I usually lug around for shooting wildlife at home.

But, then what happens when you're out somewhere on a nice sunny day shooting Castles and along comes a bunch of wildlife ? Just hafta get a bigger camera bag, more cameras and lots of lenses. Or quit trying to shoot the dumb Castles. Just buy Postcards and Calendars like everybody else does ! And shoot the WILDLIFE !!!

Hauled-Off From Here, TOO !

This is another picture I'll never forget. I didn't exactly get apprehended, this time, but "Doc" did and I didn't want to walk 30 miles home carrying all my camera gear. Somehow, I knew if he got thrown in a cell, he wouldn't let me have his car keys. So, when the Security Guard took him in for questioning I went along, just to see what would happen.

I felt a little guilty because I told a worker in the Museum that Doc was from the newspaper and he called Security.

Apparently, it's OK to take pictures of the Ancient Ryukyu King's Throne for your own personal use.

If you're a reporter or somebody who's going to make a living off your photos, get authorization from the Shuri Castle Office.

The Guard that hauled us away couldn't of been five feet tall, but wore a policeman-like uniform and lectured us all the way through (what seemed like) half a mile of corridors and tunnels, waving his arms and pointing fingers.

I started thinking out loud, " Let's just give him our Memory Cards and RUN, Doc, or WE'RE GOING TO JAIL!"

It turned out, all you have to do to be authorized to take pictures for OTHER THAN PERSONAL USE is go to the office first and explain what you're doing. Then, they give you an armband to wear and a signed release form.

So, while Doc was explaining what newspaper he works for, I started telling the translator I send my pictures to National Geograghic, JPG Magazine, Popular Science, Reader's Digest and anybody else I could think of, just so they'd give me a slip of paper like they gave Doc.

Shoot first and ask questions later doesn't work too well if you plan on making a living with your camera.

Always get a signed release !