5 Lattice Images that Show the Power of Geometry

Each week, we compile our favorite photos from Lattice, our new community where you can look, share and connect about photography. Get inspired by images you find and celebrate the talented image makers (including you!) behind the photos you love. It’s that simple.

This week, we scoured Lattice for the best photos that demonstrate the power that geometry has in photography. A lesson that most photographers learn early on, lines, shapes, and curves play a vital role in composition, helping organize the frame and direct the eye.

Check it out:

We begin with this shot of the Gare du Nord train station in Brussels, Belgium, by Jock Fistick. Here, the geometry isn’t so much of an added factor to the composition, but it is the main focus. The stark contrast between the dark ground and the bright tracks, takes us in all different directions, much in the same way that trains do. Head over to the Urban Patterns board by John Alexander for more observations on the structures of city life.

Here, Paul Foley reduces the entry hall of the Tate Modern Gallery in London down to simple shapes and small figures. The light lines guide our eyes down from the bottom of the frame to the the very top, and the three rectangles continue the journey, with the stairs leading us out. Light and shadow can often serve well in creating the geometry in a photograph, and for more examples of this, check out Paul Hetzel’s board on Light.

Now, we move on to Mabry Campbell‘s tightly composed shot of the Grand Porthole at the Triangeln in Sweden. Here, the escalators lead us towards the light and detailed glass ceiling, while the lines in the concrete around and above it help maintain our focus in the center of the frame. The important role of geometry in photography is inherent and crucial in Tina Granzo’s board Point and Line to Plane.

Next, we take a look at Urs Wyss’ nearly symmetrical photo of the Culture and Congress House in Luzern, Switzerland. Similar to the previous shot, here, the lines on the staircases on either side of the frame lead us toward the center and the view of the city. The photo can be split into many rectangles, thus establishing itself in a structurally sound frame, with the figures presenting a great sense of scale. Explore the beautiful country, from snowy mountaintops, to minimalistic architecture, with Karen Desjardin’s board on Switzerland.

Lastly, we study this strong photograph of an oil refinery by Mirna Chacin. By exposing for the sky, all of the backlit elements become silhouetted, leaving us with graphic shapes and lines that form stark triangles in every corner of the frame. The composition and subject matter strongly reference early 20th century constructivist photography, reminiscent of Alexander Rodchenko and Moholy Nagy. Check out more photos exploring the oil and gas industries in The New Frontier board curated by Newsline Media Ltd.

Geometry has been played a crucial role in photography since the advent of the medium, and well before it, too. It’s always helpful to consider it when taking photos, as well as when critiquing your work and that of others. Head on over to Lattice to train your eye and see if you can spot the different geometric patterns present in a lot of photos.