Large brick building with pools and low hedges in front
CFFC,  Photographic techniques,  Themed galleries

Gallery: converging lines and the vanishing point

October 15, 2021 / 14 Comments

In this unbelievable universe in which we live, there are no absolutes. Even parallel lines, reaching into infinity, meet somewhere yonder.

Pearl S. Buck

The number one rule of perspective is that lines that are parallel to each other appear to converge to the same point in the distance. This point is known as the vanishing point.

When we look at these lines our brain tends to adjust what we see; we don’t really think of the lines as anything other than parallel. But in a photograph the convergence is more noticeable and can be used to our advantage. These converging lines add a sense of depth to our images and draw the viewer in. They can also ‘point’ to another element in the image, focusing the viewer’s attention on it.

For Cee’s CFFC theme of straight lines I’ve trawled my archives for some examples of this effect. The following shots were almost all taken on my travels in different parts of the world.

Straight road leading to low red-hued mountains

Straight roads are the most obvious example of this effect perhaps. This one runs through the Atacama Desert in Chile, leading us to the distant mountains.

Road leading to a cathedral with green and gold domes

And here’s a city road for contrast, leading us to the Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria

Street with puddles in an old town

On a rainy day in Lucca, Italy, the streets shine with puddles. The lines of this one draw our attention to the couple sharing an umbrella at the far end of the street.

Cobbled street with old houses and tower in the distance

This rather narrower street in the old part of Tallinn, Estonia, creates the same effect, focusing our eyes on the distant tower and lone pedestrian.

Hedges leading to distant yellow palace

A path works just as well. This one is leading the way, and the eye, between the hedges to the Rundale Palace in Latvia.

Looking down at a path between palm trees

I photographed this path from our hotel room in Salalah, Oman. We have the same parallel lines but they don’t appear to be leading us anywhere; that is, there is no obvious subject at the vanishing point apart from one tiny tree. However, the figures on the path help to create the sense of direction instead.

White building with domes and minarets with rectangular pool in front

Here our eyes are led to the unmistakable building of the Taj Mahal in India, by the lines of trees, paths, pool and (not working) fountains.

low hedges leading to large white building

More hedges, this time at the Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, North Korea, where the bodies of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie in state. The bucket is only a slight distraction from the lines because its colour matches that of the flowers so well. You might just be able to make out the figures of gardeners at the far end of the lines.

Tobacco field and wooden barn

Crops are usually planted in straight lines so can be used in a similar way. This is tobacco growing near Viñales in Cuba.

Looking back at a train track in a grassy valley

Or how about train tracks? This was taken from the train between Puno and Cusco in Peru, which had a handy little viewing platform at the back.

Young people taking photos on train track down narrow street

Talking of train tracks, even these young people taking fun holiday photos in Train Street in Hanoi, Vietnam, can’t really distract from the impact of the parallel lines disappearing into the distance.

Tumbledown wooden jetty

Sometimes however we need to use our imagination a little. The sides of this old jetty at Dunns River Falls, Jamaica, were once parallel, I am sure.

Looking back from a boat at a small island

And sometimes the lines are even more transient. The wake of this boat on the Lago Todos los Santos in Chile will quickly disappear, but while they last they lead the eye nicely to the distant small island.

Straight stretch of blue water between green fields

I’ll finish with an example from a bit closer to home. This drainage canal on the Somerset Levels provides a classic example of parallel lines and their vanishing point in an image.

These photos were taken between 2005 (Cuba and Peru) and 2020 (Hanoi and Somerset)

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