Curves

Curves. I love curves. Roundnesses. Softnesses.

Curves are the most pleasing thing that they eye can see.

 

They lead, they entice, they draw you in and let you wonder what is around the next curve. We are trained to see straight lines, whether it be the shortest point from here to there, like an Interstate Highway out west, or the roof line of your house, or the lines in the sidewalk. The lines are there, but for the most part, are fairly uninteresting.

Curves, on the other hand, are like the back road through the trees, a garden path, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the softness of the female form, or even the rippling biceps of the muscle man. Curves are organic, which is why, I think, that we are so drawn to them as an element of art.

Straight lines have their place, but are very mechanical and organized.

Curves remind us of our humanity, and our natural being. So let's incorporate them into our images!

So where do we find curves? Just about everywhere that nature is involved. The sun, the moon, the shoreline of the lake, the road through the snow covered woods - but curves can be there without the "line" of the curve. This photo of the Ring of Brodgar is a case in point. The tops of the standing stones make a curve, drawing you into the image.

If you don't know, the Ring of Brodgar is Stonehenge's  biggest brother, measuring 138 meters across. You can find this, the largest Henge in the world on the mainland of the Orkney Islands, north of Scotland.

Curves are not only in nature and can be manufactured as well - and that is why the Opera House in Sydney, Australia is so celebrated. Manufactured curves on that scale are not so commonly found in architecture. Again, they lend an organic flavor to the building that is missing in most construction.

And here is the biggest curve I have photographed, leading your eye to the Space Shuttle on the launch pad.

So your homework, should you choose to accept it. is to find and photograph some curves. Don't limit yourself to curvy lines drawn in the sand. See the curves in everything, like these roses...