As I was browsing through the news this week, the photographs that immediately grabbed my attention and triggered an emotional response were the shots that tell a story in a single composition. Many of them used a longstanding photography tool: the power of lines.
Photojournalists are tasked with capturing a scene as it unfolds, without manipulating the scene in person or with software. But one of the tools that photojournalists have in their more limited toolset is compositional technique. Leading lines are a key example. Lines tend to draw the eye in a photograph, which is why those lines are often referred to as leading lines.
I’m a photographer and a tech journalist, and I think these are some of the best news photos that I’ve seen this week.
Lines of people outside the Bukavu school fire
In this photograph, lines of people walk past the site of the fire in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The fire broke out in a school, causing a stampede, before spreading and damaging 500 homes. At least 24 schoolchildren died in the stampede, authorities said.
Jospin Mwisha took this chilling photograph that shows area residents walking through to inspect the damage.
Lines and patterns at a bird singing competition
This shot by Madaree Tohlala uses both lines and patterns to create an attention-grabbing photograph that immediately made me want to look closer.
The photograph comes from an annual bird-singing competition in Thailand’s Narathiwat province, where zebra doves and their handlers compete for a Royal Trophy awarded by Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
A dramatic silhouette in Gaza
This dramatic silhouette, backlit by the sun, immediately caught my eye. But, it’s the photograph's lines that triggered my mind to think that something is not right. With the low angle, the lines in the photograph could have been grass, but the unusual bent angle of those lines hints at what the two people in the photograph are really walking through: rubble.
Photographer Eyad Baba took this photo of men walking through the rubble at the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees on September 14. The photograph shows the aftermath of an airstrike on the central Gaza Strip on September 9.
A day of remembrance
The lines in this photograph are created by the Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial, drawing attention to the building in the distance: One World Trade Center. The man touching the wall and the dramatic clouds reflected off the memorial create a memorable photograph.
The photograph was taken on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 by Gary Hershorn.
A silent protest
In this photograph by Brook Mitchell, an animal rights activist sits inside a pig farrowing crate on September 11. Activist Michelle Farnham entered the crate on September 1 to draw attention to the crates used in factory farming and plans to stay for three weeks.
The farrowing crate creates natural lines in the photograph. But those lines are contrasted with the blurred movement of those walking by the protest. The slow shutter speed draws more attention to the protester’s lack of movement in the small confines.
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