15 Leading Lines Photo Ideas to Shoot on a Samsung Galaxy

Leading lines are easy to come by when you look down instead of at the horizon. Here are 15 reliable ways to get leading lines, each with a Galaxy lens and a starting setting. The pictures in this post are illustrations of the ideas, and our leading lines guide covers the technique in depth.

Eye levelLow angle

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Four steps that work for every idea

1. 1

   Look at the ground first

   Pay attention to the first few metres in front of you, rather than to the view. Look for the strongest lines: these will be kerbs and road markings, rails, the edges of paths etc.

2. 2

   Start in a corner and end on a subject

   Let the line enter from a corner at the bottom and end somewhere interesting (not blank space, which just leaves your viewer’s eye hanging), like a building or person.

3. 3

   Pick the lens for the line

   If you're shooting something where there's a row of objects that you want to appear closer together, step back and use the 3x or 5x. But for lines that start at your feet, crouch down low and use the 0.6x.

4. 4

   Level and focus

   From Camera settings, turn on Composition guide (Grid lines on A-series phones) to display a level and grid lines. Tap where you want to focus (the end of the line with your subject).

15 leading lines ideas

Roads, rails and paths

• Railway tracks with a figure. Only shoot from behind the safety line on the platform or on an old disused line which has been opened up as a footpath. Use the 0.6x zoom, keeping the camera low down so that the tracks start off in the bottom corners of the frame. Tap on the figure to focus.
• A lane curving toward a farmhouse. For the most interesting results choose a curving road or lane, ideally one with an S bend. The curves lead the eye more slowly than a straight line and can take the viewer’s attention right into the scene. Position yourself at a gateway or step back into the grassy verge. Try composing so that the farmhouse is on a third line. Use the 1x zoom lens.
• A footpath through a field or forest. Get down on to the path itself so that it appears to broaden towards the foreground. Use the 0.6x zoom lens. Paths are best photographed in the side light of morning or evening, which emphasises the edges of the path.
• Light trails from a footbridge. Use Pro mode to create light trails with a slow exposure of between 4 and 10 seconds and an ISO setting of 50. Rest the phone on the footbridge railing for stability. Lines can be made from road markings as well as car headlights.
• Tyre or bicycle tracks in sand or snow. Get close down to the ground with the phone and use the 1x zoom lens. For best results photograph towards the light so that the ridges of the tracks are emphasised.

Water and shoreline

• A pier running into a still lake. Use the 0.6x from the centre line of the pier at knee level for a strong lead-in line, with the planks coming straight into the camera. Use the level to make sure the far bank is horizontal.
• Beach groynes at low tide. They form strong diagonal lines coming down into the camera. Use the 1x shooting from one side so that the first groyne comes through a bottom corner of the frame. If you intend cropping in, switch to 50MP or 200MP on models that offer it.
• A river or canal seen from a bridge. Look for a good curved line where the bank changes direction. Use either the 1x or 3x and look for an end point such as a swan or boat.
• A harbour wall with breaking waves. Use the 0.6x lens shooting along the top of the wall from a safe distance back from the wall. Use Pro mode and set the shutter speed to 1/500s or faster to freeze the splashing water.

Buildings and interiors

• A spiral staircase from above or below. Try pointing your phone straight down/up with the 0.6x lens from the centre of the stairwell. Line the middle of the spiral up with the middle of the grid, as our perspective guide explains.
• A corridor or colonnade. Both are great for vanishing point shots. Use the 1x lens and make sure you’re standing square on the centre line so that the vanishing point is central and the two walls meet up. Our symmetry guide covers finding the axis.
• Escalators in a quiet station. They will provide strong leading lines thanks to the diagonal handrails that run from one corner of the frame to the opposite corner. Lean your phone against one of the rails and take a picture using Pro mode with a 1/4s exposure. This way, anyone using the escalator will be blurred while the handrails remain sharp.
• A library aisle or a supermarket shelf. Both can provide strong vanishing point shots if you shoot down the aisle from shelf-height using the 1x lens. Try Pro mode to increase the ISO (only as much as needed for the lighting conditions).
• A row of lamp posts or columns. Try moving to one end of the line and shooting down the line with either the 3x or 5x lens to compress the line of posts/columns and create a strong sense of rhythm (if you don’t have dedicated 3x/5x lenses, you can crop in using your main camera on an A-series phone).

Fields and rows

• Vineyard or crop rows seen from a hillside. Rows of vines or crops running away from you can make a good diagonal subject, especially in the evening when the sun is low enough to cast shadows across each row. Shoot from a higher vantage point using the 3x or 5x.

Lens and setting quick reference

GSMArena notes that recent S-series models have featured an approximately 13mm equivalent ultrawide, as well as 67mm and 111mm telephoto cameras, so it’s no surprise that the same scene would look quite different depending on which camera you shoot with.

Leading lines mistakes to avoid

• Lines are best shot from low down, because from standing eye level they can flatten out into a band next to your feet.
• Aim to end lines on an object of interest, as an empty sky will leave people feeling a bit flat.
• Leading lines should end on the subject of the shot; running out of the frame doesn’t count.
• Distortion towards the edges of an ultrawide frame can make things look unnaturally stretched, so keep important subjects closer to the centre of the frame.
• Standing in potentially dangerous places (harbour walls, roads, railway lines etc.) to get that perfect shot isn’t worth it.

Lines can also be used in combination with other techniques. Put foreground interest at the start of the line or framing at the end of the line to surround the subject matter.