The use of leading lines as a compositional tool can also be applied to macro photography. This week my search lead me to take a longer and closer look at the world around me. Flowers possess built in leading lines; with the stems leading one’s eyes to the flower and the petals drawing attention to their center.

Both can be incorporated in one photo or you may choose to simply use one or the other.

Orchids with their colorful, long-lasting flowers certainly brighten a room and make marvelous photographic subjects.

The remains of a tulip flower after the petals fell off couldn’t escape my camera. Even though the color from the petals is gone, I found some beauty in the starkness of the pistil as highlighted by the stems and stamens.

Here, the repeating lines of the woods rings . . .

lead to the cut side.

The tentacles of the sea anemone create many lines leading one’s eyes to the middle or oral disc.

You can also create your own leading line using your hand and finger as a pointer.

I was happy to see that my hand model’s nail polish coordinated with the sea anemone’s hue.

Food also can either be arranged to create leading lines or as in these photos cut to create them.

When cut in this manner the seeds lead one’s eyes to the core.

A cross section of a red cabbage contains so many lines it can be easy to get lost in them but if you focus on the larger lines, they lead to the core.

This week you too can look closer at your world and search out the leading lines there.  Who knows, once you start, you may be lead down a path you never dreamed of.

~ Susan